Take Care Of My Heart
by TCOMH82
Summary: Finn Hudson is the CEO of his own company and doesn't have time for his kids. When Rachel Berry is hired to nanny his children, she turns the Hudson household upside down.
1. Trouble, Trouble

**Author's Note: Hey guys! It's Ravi and Raeah, and this is our new fanfic. We're not going to talk to much, we just wanna say that we hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

_Where is it? Where is it?!_ Finn thought anxiously to himself as he continued to search through the piles and piles of papers that were stacked on his desk. "I told you not to just set these here!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands up in exasperation.

"Oh, so now it's my fault you can't find the paper?" The man beside him asked, his tone laced with annoyance.

Finn just rolled his eyes. Puck, his best friend and right hand man of his company, was usually extremely reliable. However, in this moment, they had about three hours to find the statement and file it with the other documents for last quarter's revenue and he wasn't being much help. "No. Just forget it and keep looking!" He grabbed a stack of papers off the desk and began shuffling through them.

"All I'm saying," Puck continued, grabbing a stack of papers for himself and copying Finn, "is that you being the CEO of Hudson Inc, which by the way is named after you in case you forgot, you would be more careful when handling all of these documents. They shouldn't just be laying out all over your desk."

Finn's eyes grew wide. "YOU'RE THE ONE THAT PUT THEM HERE! I asked you to put them in my filing cabinet where they belonged. If you would have just done that then we wouldn't be up to our elbows in files!" He threw that stack of papers into a box filled with sheets they had already looked through and grabbed a new bundle.

Puck forced back a smirk. "Now now, let's not go pointing fingers. I think that this is both of our faults here. You shouldn't have trusted me to put away these statements in the first place. I'm unreliable." Glancing at one sheet after the other, he decided the prized document wasn't in that stack either so he discarded it and grabbed a new one.

Finn stopped searching and looked up at Puck, grinning. "Yeah, you're right on that one. You are way too unreliable."

"Hey!" Puck exclaimed, throwing the piece of paper that was in his hand at Finn. The page floated every which way in the air before settling down just to the right of Finn's black dress shoes. He was always dressed up in suits, because being the CEO of the company meant he always had to look his best. Finn held his tie to his chest as he bent down and grabbed the stray piece of paper.

Flipping it over to add it to his stack, Finn muttered, "Aaaand, here it is." He held it up to show Puck, right as his best friend reached for it. "Um, no. I'm not trusting you with this again, I'm going to fax it over to the main office right now with a note telling Santana to file it where it belongs." Finn chuckled as Puck pulled his hand back and frowned.

"You trust Santana more than you trust me to do work related things? Now that's messed up." Puck grumbled.

Finn shrugged, and placed the piece of paper in the tray of the fax machine. "Maybe if you would file things like I asked you to we wouldn't have to spend 45 minutes searching through stacks of papers, and I would trust you more than I trust my secretary. If I had wanted a mess of papers on my desk, I would have had my kids put them away."

"Finn, dude, I'm sorry, okay?" Puck retorted, holding his hands up in front of him as if in defense.

"It's alright. This is just a downside to working from my home office sometimes, I have to trust you to do the filing and stuff instead of Santana." Finn smirked and turned to dial in the number to the fax machine in his work.

_Thud, thud. _

Puck and Finn turned their heads in the direction of the noise. "Sounds like it's coming from the living room," Puck said.

Finn waited a few seconds and when there was no other noise he shrugged and turned back to the machine, "Mary will take care of it." He reached for the numbers again.

_Thud._

The men looked at each other and then in the direction of the noise, waiting for something else. At first, there was nothing that followed, but then there was the laughter of children and a woman yelling.

"You finish this; I'll go see what's going on." Finn said, pointing at the fax machine as he walked out the door. He carried himself well, straightening his tie as he approached the living room. "What is going on?" He asked in a firm and not at all gentle voice. His children feared him so as soon as he spoke they stopped their childishness and sat down, avoiding eye contact with him.

There was an older woman standing on the other side of the couch from Finn who was inching towards the door. "I'm sorry, Mr. Hudson. I just can't do it anymore. They're just too wild." The woman looked anxious and she already had her suitcases in hand.

"Mrs. Ravira, Mary, please, just tell me what they did." Finn asked, almost pleading with her.

The nanny looked at him as if he was an idiot. "You really haven't noticed?" Her eyes scanned towards Abby and David, who were still sitting on the ground, not letting their gaze leave the floor.

Finn looked clueless as to what she was talking about, "No, I haven't. Please, go on."

Mary sighed, "When you're around, they scream and they throw things and they're little monsters. Don't you remember that time they put glue in my shampoo bottle? I talked to you about it. My hair looked like some piece of abstract art."

Finn stifled a laugh as the image of her walking into the kitchen as pissed as he'd ever seen her made its way into his head. Her hair had been sticking up in so many directions; she looked like she had been electrocuted. Mrs. Ravira glared at him. "Uh, sorry. Go ahead."

"Then, there was that time they put ants in my bed. I was itchy for weeks, it was miserable. The time they tried to clean the toilet with my toothbrush, I was lucky I walked in on that one. Umm, the time I wa-"

"Okay, I've heard enough." Finn sighed, closing his eyes for a moment, trying to take everything in. Then he looked at his kids, raising an eyebrow, "I heard thuds a few moments ago, though, what caused them?" As their father's stare bore deeper and deeper, Abby tried to sink lower and lower into the carpet. He returned his gaze to the nanny.

Mary took in a deep breath before continuing, "Well, when I tried to send them to their rooms for throwing my underwear back and forth to each other, David ran towards the stairs. Naturally, I went after him. As soon as I reached the top stair, David jumped out of the way and one of his legs got caught underneath me. I tumbled down the stairs, so I'm assuming that caused the thuds you heard was my not so graceful landing on the hardwood. I'm okay, and I'm not going to be suing, it was only 5 stairs, however it is unacceptable behavior. I can't be positive that my tripping down the stairs was intentional, but it wouldn't surprise me in the least if it was. Those children are a force to be reckoned with and I'm getting too old to deal with it. I suggest you find someone younger who has the time to chase them around and dodge their pranks, or better yet, parent them yourself. I quit." Before Finn could even open his mouth and apologize, she was gone.

Finn closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. He stayed this way for a minute or two, trying to gather enough calmness to turn and face his children. When he did, he did so with authority. "David, Abby, what have you done?"

Abby, who was at a prime age of seven, stood up and began to walk towards Finn, "Daddy… We just –"

"No, I'll tell you what you've done," Finn said, cutting her off and pointing an accusing finger at her, "You've just made my life ten times harder. Now I have to find you another nanny. What am I going to do with you until I can find one?! I have to work Abby. I can't be bothered to stay here and watch you and your brother all day."

The little girl was trying to be brave and hold her tears back. She didn't want to let her father or her little brother David – who was only five- see her cry. She sniffed and wiped away a stray tear from her cheek before calmly saying, "I'm sorry, daddy." Her eyes made their way to the floor, unable to look Finn in the eye.

"Go to your rooms." Finn said assertively.

As they got up, David walked over to Finn and tugged on his pant leg. After he was satisfied that his father was looking at him, he spoke in a soft voice, "Daddy, we don't want another nanny. I just want you to stay with me and Abby." Tears came to the little boy's eyes.

Finn gently took David's arms and plucked them from his clothing. "Go to your room, David." He spoke firm and David turned, immense hurt in his eyes, and began to walk away. After watching to make sure they did as they were told, Finn turned on his heels and stormed back into his office, steam practically coming out of his ears. "Well, I'm out a nanny." He grumbled, kicking his office chair with his foot rather hard. The chair tumbled over onto its side, knocking down a stack of papers Puck had just finished putting together.

"Dude! Watch it!" Puck yelled, throwing his hands up and the papers that were in them into the air.

"Sorry. Life's just been shitty since that stupid car accident." Finn spit the words out through his teeth as if they were poison. All of a sudden the tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Puck awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck and looked down, unsure of what to say. The silence stayed this way for about two minutes, until Finn cleared his throat and spoke up again, "So, did you fax the paper through? Did Santana get it?"

Puck nodded, "Yeah, she did. She said she'd call you if there were any issues."

"Thanks."

The tension was still there and it was killing both of them. Neither of them knew what to say to break it. Until the phone rang. Finn reached onto his desk and picked it up, pressing it to his ear, "Hello?"

"Hey, sexy." A voice purred on the other line.

Finn grinned. "Hey, Santana."

"I could say that there was a problem with the paper Puck just faxed over in order to get you to come into the office, but that would be a lie. So, how about I just tell you the truth? I'm wearing that little black dress you love so much." Santana said sensually.

Finn turned his back to Puck and cupped his hand over his mouth, "Oh really?" He meant to say it normally, but his words sort of melted together and it came out as more of a groan.

"Yep." She said, and he could hear the smile in her voice. "And one other thing…" Her voice trailed off as she waited for Finn to ask.

"What?"

"I'm not wearing panties." She whispered, chuckling maniacally to herself.

Finn's jaw dropped as he tried to focus on anything else besides what she'd just said. He couldn't form words properly at the moment.

"I'll be waiting in your office." Santana said before hanging up.

Finn let out a breath he didn't even realize he'd been holding. His head was still a little fuzzy, but he managed to turn around to Puck and say, "Santana said the copy we faxed through was smudged so I need to bring her the original page." He hung up the phone and plucked the paper off of the fax machine, walking out the office door before Puck could even say anything.

"Finn, wait! We have other things we have to get done today! Can't you just postpone the deadline and do this tomorrow?" Puck said, walking after Finn down the hallway.

"Nope! We're on a tight schedule!" Finn called back, not even bothering to turn around. He simply waved the paper in the air above his head before walking out the door.

Puck sighed and was about to leave, too, when he heard two doors creak open. Turning his head he saw Abby and David peeking out of their rooms with confused looks on their faces. "Well, I guess I should stay here with you guys…" He said hesitantly before turning around and walking back into the living room.

* * *

Finn hesitated outside of the door that lead to his office. Running his fingers through his hair, he attempted to make it look more tousled than it really was. He also made the effort of straightening out his jacket and his tie before opening the door and walking in. There she was, sitting on his desk in that little black dress, her knees crossed and her hands propped out behind her. Finn closed the door as a smirk tugged on the corner of his mouth.

"Well, hello there, Ms. Lopez." He said, still standing in front of the door.

She smirked back and sat up, dipping her chest forward as she responded, "Mr. Hudson." Santana hopped off his desk, not bothering to pull down the bottom of her dress, which had risen almost to the point of exposing her. "Now let's quit the formalities. How about you get over here because I wants you on me and I wants it now."

Finn didn't need to be asked twice. Within a second he was across the room with one hand on her lower back and the other cupping the side of her face. He molded her lips to his before parting them with his tongue and slipping it in her mouth. Exploring her mouth was familiar because he'd done it so many times before. There was nothing emotionally going on between them, he just considered them sex buddies. Nevertheless, it still excited him to hear her moan against his mouth. He moved their bodies back until she was pinned against his desk.

"You know this doesn't mean anything, right?" Finn said as he pulled away from her lips.

"Of course, you tell me every single time we have sex. Which is pretty often." Santana wove her fingers through his hair and brought his face down to her neck. "And I tell you every time that all I want from you is sex. And maybe a raise." She smiled even though he couldn't see.

As Finn kissed down her neck, he placed one of his hands on his desk to support his body and accidentally hit the intercom button. A loud beep rang through the office and Finn was thankful, not for the first time, that he had decided to invest in blinds. As soon as his hand hit the button, he released it and stood up.

"Maybe this isn't the best place to do this." He said with a chuckle.

Santana moved away from the desk and began to pull down her dress to a semi-appropriate length. "Then where? I don't know about you, but I'm not done quite yet." She waggled an eyebrow at Finn as she ran her fingers through her now knotted hair.

The kids were at his house so they couldn't go there. Or could they? Usually when Finn brought women home with him he waited until the kids were at school. However, Puck was there. Surely he could keep them entertained until Finn had his way with Santana. All he had to do was keep them away from the Finn's bedroom, that wasn't difficult. "Let's go back to my place. We'll have to be sneaky because my kids are home, but Puck's there so it should be okay."

Santana raised her eyebrows, "Are you sure you want to do all the things you want to do to me while your kids are in the house? I'm the last person to question someone's morality, but are you sure that's okay?"

"Yeah, they'll be fine." Finn shrugged and opened the door, "After you."

* * *

When they reached his house, the kids were still back in the living room playing with Puck. Finn took Santana's hand and slowly opened the front door, "Remember, be quiet." He whispered before stepping inside and closing the door without making a noise. They tiptoed down the hallway and past the living room, thankful that the kids' backs were to them. Finn almost got by completely unnoticed but just as he was about to slip into his bedroom, Puck looked up and saw him. Finn shook his head and motioned towards Santana.

Puck looked at him with a look that said "You have got to be kidding me."

Finn pleaded with him.

After a second, Puck resigned and rolled his eyes, mouthing, "You owe me." Finn simply nodded before slipping into his bedroom and silently shutting the door.

This was not going to cut it. No way was Puck going to babysit kids that weren't even his all day while Finn was off doing the nasty with Santana! He needed to find a new nanny and he needed to find her soon. He leaned back against the couch and pulled out his phone while the kids continued to build a fort with building blocks.

Within a matter of minutes he had created an ad for the job that needed to be filled and posted it. Now all that was left to do was wait.

Puck kept glancing at Finn's bedroom door, hoping for the sake of the kids that Finn and Santana would keep it quiet. Those kids didn't need that kind of scarring at such a young age.

_They really are good kids_, Puck thought as he watched Abby reach over and help straighten out David's side of the tower so it wouldn't fall over. The little boy smiled at his sister as if she were a queen before saying thank you. Finn was a great guy and this wasn't completely his fault, but he had recently become a really crummy father. Puck would never admit that out loud, but it was a good sort of relief to be able to admit it to himself.

_Beep Beep_.

Puck looked at his phone and saw that someone had already replied to the ad. He clicked on the new email:

_Noah Puckerman,_

_I read your ad about needing a nanny for Finn Hudson's two kids. I'm interested in the job. My resume is attached and you can contact me by email or my phone number which is listed below. I'd love to do an interview with you about the position as soon as possible. _

_Rachel Berry_

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**We hope you enjoyed this first chapter and keep reading! :) Please leave us some feedback - we would love to hear your thoughts and we'd super appreciate it!**


	2. Meet the Nanny

**Raeah and Ravi here! Hope you guys enjoyed Chapter one! Here's the second chapter.**

He looks at the pile of papers on his desk. The number of applicants he had to sort through felt endless. It was as if anyone and everyone wanted to nanny for a CEO, but half of these clowns were barely qualified. Puck had spent the past week sifting through 100s of applications. It was moments like these that Puck had to remind himself that the economy wasn't too great and even if he was rolling in the big bucks, it didn't mean others were as lucky.

However, this humbling moment didn't last long as it was replaced with pure frustration. The more resumes and emails he received, the crazier he went. People used the dumbest bullshit to make themselves seem capable.

He couldn't help but begin rubbing his temples after reading another one where a lady believed her experience in the kitchen would make her great because she can cook for kids.

_Don't these people understand? _Puck grunted to himself.

Finn was a lucky bastard who had two of the cutest and kindest kids Puck had ever seen. Yet he didn't even appreciate them. Instead, he spends all of his time in the office, and any remaining hours of the day, banging interns, secretaries - the works.

Puck was tired of cleaning up his messes ever since the accident. That accident. It was all so different before that one mistake.

Those kids deserved the best. They needed the full package. Someone who would not only look after them but actually care.

He continued reading through resumes with the rejection pile exponentially growing. He only had about 5 "maybes" but Puck had decided that Finn should make the final decision - they were his kids after all.

Finally, he was done. Five candidates. That's it. Each had most of the characteristics he believed suited a good nanny.

After letting out a sigh of relief, he got up from his desk with those 5 papers in his hand.

"Time to let Finn decide."

0-0

There he was, spending another night, in his office. Puck knew exactly where to find him.

"Hey man," Puck announced his presence into the room.

Without looking up, Finn replied, "Puck, I'm kind of busy right now. Is something up?"

His eyes didn't move from the documents he was currently going through.

"Okay, so you know how Mary quit..." began Puck.

"Yeah, I don't know what I'm going to do. The neighbor's teenage daughter is starting to whine about all the hours I keep asking for her to come over. She has homework to do or some crap," groans Finn, his frustration with his kids and their situation very clear.

"Okay, if that kid wasn't like 16, I would totally bang her," chuckled Puck, as he took a seat across from his best friend.

"Same," smirked Finn, "But anyway, what about Mary?"

"Well, I took the liberty of finding a brand new nanny for you," explained Puck, pulling out he resumes and placing them on the table.

"Are you serious? How dare you!" Finn dropped what he was doing and got up from his desk, "You don't know what my kids need. I'm their father. That's my decision!"

"Whoa, calm down there. I know it's your decision. That's why I picked five candidates for _you_ to pick from," he replied, his arms up in defense.

"You know what. Clearly, you know what's right for my kids since you've put so much effort into doing my job," Finn said that with so much subtle anger, and that terrified Puck.

Finn rifled through the 5 papers, and pulled one out at random.

"There, it's decided. She's my new nanny."

Finn slid the paper over to Puck, and returned his attention back to his work.

Puck wanted to talk to his best friend and really talk this all out. He usually wasn't up for the sensitive shit but, damn it, they had too. Puck was tired of Finn throwing all of his problems onto him and then never actually wanting to talk about it.

But Puck had to let him do what he wanted.

"Fine. I'll call her and she'll be there in the morning. Are you sure you don't want to look over these?"

"Just get it done," growled Finn.

Without saying another word, Puck got up and left his friend alone – that one resume in his hand. As he walked out the door, he took out his phone and dialed the number in the header.

"_Hello? Rachel Berry speaking"_

"Hi, this is Noah Puckerman. I'm calling you about that nanny position you inquired about."

0-0

It was another stressful morning. As usual, everything was in a rush. Not only did Finn have to get himself ready for another big meeting, but make sure the kids were fed and dressed before he drove them to school.

"Abby! David! Get out here – you need your breakfast," hollered Finn into the hallway.

"Daddy- David is taking too long in the bathroom. I need to pee!"

Finn ran over to the bathroom, still fiddling with his blue tie. When he arrived outside the door, all he sees is his young daughter still in her pyjamas, banging on the door.

"David!" continued screaming Abby.

"I'm brushing my teeth, wait."

Checking his watch quickly, Finn's temper was rising. His kids were barely dressed and his meeting was in 45 minutes. He couldn't be late to his own meeting.

"David Hudson, if you do not get out of that washroom in five seconds, so help me god, you will be grounded for the next two weeks. No TV. No friends."

His voice was firm and assertive and the kids knew he wasn't getting.

The door opened instantly and quickly emerged David, frowning up at his father.

"Now you better both be downstairs and dressed in the next 10 minutes, or Abby can join David's grounding."

Finn rushed to the kitchen and pulled out bowls for the kids' cereal. He was never one to be a good cook so unfortunately, on these rushed mornings, they all stuck to simple and easy cereal.

It didn't take long before David showed up, wearing a Spongebob tshirt and shorts. He would look cute if it wasn't the same shirt that he's worn everyday for the past week. The only time Finn could get that shirt away from him was when David allowed him to wash it.

"Cereal again?" moaned David, frowning at his dad.

"Yup, and unless you want to starve, I would get eating."

They exchanged this conversation every time Finn was between nannies, and though he always felt bad, there was nothing the man could do.

Going through a quick checklist in his head, Finn suddenly realised that he forgot his cell phone in his bedroom.

"I'll be right back."

Abby was still not in sight.

"Abby, you have 4 minutes left. Hurry that butt up!"

He rushed to his bed side table and started searching for his iPhone that basically held his life. As he rummaged around for it, he heard his daughter's voice shouting for him.

"Daddy, there's a very pretty lady at the door!"

_I wasn't expecting that._ Finn thought to himself.

Catching a glimpse of his phone on the ground, he quickly picked it up before heading downstairs. When he reached the bottom of the staircase, Finn looked up and his breath was taken away. His daughter was right. She was a very pretty lady. Whoever this woman was, she was the most beautiful woman that Finn had ever laid his eyes on. She had long dark brown hair that fell into gentle curls. She had these huge brown eyes, and a wide but soft smile. Her nose was a bit larger than average, but it fit her. Everything was proportionate – including her gorgeous and curvaceous body, but it was this beam that vibrated out of her. He didn't know what it was, but everything seemed to lighten as his gaze lingered upon this mysterious woman.

"Um, hello? I'm afraid I have yet to make your acquaintance. I'm Finn Hudson," he greeted her as he closed the distance between them and took his place next to his daughter.

"I'm Rachel Berry, the new nanny," she introduced herself with a big smile.

"Yo-you're the new nanny?" stuttered Finn, embarrassed with himself instantly.

"Yup, that's me. I'm going to move my stuff in later but Noah told me to get here bright and early because you have some big meeting," she explained.

The meeting.

"Shit, um, I know this is quick, but I actually have to go. I'm already running late. Could you finish getting the kids dressed, fed and get them to school?"

"Yes sir," chuckled Rachel, saluting him.

"All of the important phone numbers are on the fridge, which includes my phone, the office number, and the school's," instructed Finn as he gathered his belongings.

"Any house rules?"

"Umm, we can talk about that later tonight," Finn glanced at his watch again and headed for the door, "I'm sorry for the rush but I've got to go thank you so much. Bye!"

Finn left without glancing back; the sound of his kids yelling back "bye daddy" cut off by the sound of the door slamming. As he got into his car and started speeding to work, all that he could think about was the big brown eyes of his new nanny.

0-0

When he got back home, he was hit by a mouth-water scent. It smelled like chicken grilling and fresh pasta with Alfredo sauce. A distinct smell that he missed. With a wide grin, Finn opened up the door to see Rachel cooking and the kids doing their homework as she made them dinner.

"Daddy!" The kids exclaimed and jumped off their chairs to run over to him. They both grabbed a leg and hugged their tall father.

He couldn't help but chuckle – they hadn't been this affectionate in a while.

"Welcome home Mr. Hudson. I hope you don't mind. I picked up the kids after school and used the extra key that Noah gave me to let us in and start dinner."

"Wow, that's awesome – Rachel?" Partially hesitant at her name since he was in such a rush this morning.

She nodded at him and returned her attention to her cooking.

"How was your day daddy?" asked Abby, still not letting go of her dad.

"Abby, let me go get changed and we'll talk," he replied, grabbing his briefcase, and headed towards his room.

"Dinner will be ready soon," interjected Rachel.

She looked over and smiled at him. Finn returned the smile, and the look they shared lasted longer than he would expect.

God, she was gorgeous.

Finn rushed upstairs and quickly threw on jeans and a t-shirt. He hated wearing his suits in the house. It was only the place he got to kind of relax – at least physically.

When he came back down, David was playing with his building blocks and Abby was still going at her homework - man did they assign a lot for grade two. Rachel set out the plates and began serving dinner.

"Just in time," she remarked, as she poured pasta onto a plate.

"David, come join us at the table," ordered Finn, walking over himself.

He took a seat next to his daughter and waited for his son to join them.

This was an odd feeling for Finn. He couldn't remember the last time he sat down with his family and enjoyed a home cooked meal – his past caregivers weren't the best chefs. It was a moment like this that made him miss the way things used to be before... He stopped himself from thinking about her again.

"Dig in everyone," cheerfully said Rachel.

Everyone did exactly that. Finn had to keep himself from moaning as he shoveled a forkful into his mouth. This was one of the most delicious meals he had ever eaten. The chicken seemingly melted in his mouth and the pasta was cooked perfectly. Could that be fresh pesto? Finn could definitely say that his taste buds were satisfied.

"So what do you think?" inquired Rachel after taking her first bite, brushing a piece of her hair behind her ear as she asked.

"This is amazing!" exclaimed David, shovelling more into his mouth.

"Mhm! This is so good. I can't remember the last time I ate something so yummy," Abby joined in.

"The kids are right. You're a pretty good cook," Finn chimed in with his kids, enjoying the subtle blush that appeared on his nanny's face at his compliment. The slight shade of red on her cheeks suited her.

Was it bad that all he could think about was seeking her naked?

He quickly pushed that thought away when he remembered that she was hired help and it had to stay professional for his kids' sake.

"So I'm guessing it's later now. Shall we discuss the house rules?" asked Rachel.

"Right. Well, there are only three rules that I ask my nannies to abide by. Number one, stay away from the spare room with the bright blue doors next to the bathroom," he pointed in its direction, "The kids know as well that this room is off limits to everyone. Though it's not a rule, if you come to my home office, please knock before entering. Number two, never answer my personal cell phone. I don't care if it's endlessly ringing – there will never be a circumstance where you can touch it. Number three, everyone, and that's especially the kids, have to be out of the house between 12 to 4 PM – no questions asked. Besides that, please make yourself at home Rachel."

Finn had given that lecture so many times that he seemed almost robotic with his firm voice and emotionless tone.

"Got it. Room, phone, 12-4," repeated Rachel, her eyes looking to her right as if she was processing a list.

"I'm sorry I didn't get to properly introduce the kids to you this morning. We had some big guys from Japan come visit us and you know how they are about tardiness," Finn sincerely apologized. He truly had felt bad for just dumping his kids on her that morning.

"Don't worry about it. You have two lovely kids. They were no trouble this morning," replied Rachel, shooting a wide grin towards both the children.

Finn almost chuckled as he watched his kids grin and beam at him for her compliment.

"Oh I know. I saw you got Abby doing her homewo-."

Right before Finn could finish his sentence, his phone started ringing.

"I'm sorry guys, I have to take this."

Finn excused himself from the table and disappeared upstairs, checking to see who was calling before answering it. **Santana.**

_"Hey there big boy_" her voice basically purred at him when he pressed accept.

"Hey San."

"_Don't you remember what time it is? I don't like to be kept waiting."_

Finn looked at the time. Crap it was a Tuesday and now 7PM. He and Santana set up a time each week for them to relieve their stress. It was that one solid block a week where his schedule didn't mess with anything and he looked forward it.

"Shit, sorry, I got a new nanny today. I'll be right over."

"_I would hurry if I were you, or I'm going to have to start without you_."

He couldn't help but groan as he pictured Santana sprawled out, and her getting it on without him did not make him happy.

"I'll be there," he almost growled at her before hanging up the phone.

With that, Finn quickly darted down the stairs.

When he came back to the living room, Abby and David were playing with their blocks. Rachel was helping them build a massive tower, and they were laughing as they kept dropping blocks in the process. Finn couldn't help but smile as the happiness of his kids at the moment radiated off of them. This Rachel really was a good choice.

"Sorry guys, but I have to head out. I'll be home later, so Rachel please have David in bed at 8, and Abby can stay up until 9," announced Finn.

Rachel nodded but the kids clearly became distraught.

"Please come play with us daddy. Rachel was teaching us how to build a tower without it falling," whined Abby, her upset clear at her now-shining blue eyes.

"Yeah daddy, please please please. Come play," joined David.

"I have more important things to do right now. You guys need to understand that."

The kids didn't bother argue and just got up in unison. Without exchanging any words, David and Abby marched to Abby's room and closed the door.

Though Finn could tell she was most likely judging him, he couldn't help but look over at her. The look of disappointment was clear.

"How important could business be that you can't even spend five minutes with your children?"

Rachel almost spat her statement at him. He could tell that he really did not make a good impression on her with his absence. However, no help of his could speak to him that way.

"Important enough, and last time I checked, you were my nanny not my family therapist. The kids understand that I'm busy," retorted Finn, his voice deep and assertive. No one messed with him or judged him for his parenting. He was doing the best that he could under the circumstances.

"Yeah because you've trained them to nod their heads and agree to whatever you say. I've been here for a day and I can see that. You're kids are amazing. Don't you want to spend some time with them?" Rachel didn't budge and continued to lecture him.

Finn looked at his time again, which only furthered his anger towards the short brunette as he was getting more late.

"This conversation is over if you want to keep your job" he warned her.

"Fine. I'm going to go play with some great children. Enjoy attending to your _business_."

With that, she got up and marched towards Abby's bedroom. He could hear the faint sound of her asking them if they were okay which was followed by the sound of crying.

It killed him to make his kids feel this way, but at least they were in good care. A part of him knew that Rachel was right but it wasn't fair for her to judge him. She didn't know anything. She didn't know about what happened or why he was like this. She doesn't know about the pain he goes through every morning thinking about it or how hard he's fought to get to where he is. It infuriated him that Rachel felt like she could walk in, make his kids love her, and then tell him how to be a parent.

Though he liked her, Rachel Berry had a lot of learning to do if she wanted to stick around.

**Make sure to leave a review and tell us what you think! Chapter 3 will be posted Wednesday at 6pm EST!**


	3. Answers

_Beep. Beep._

Rachel rolled over in her bed and turned off the alarm clock. She had set it for 7:00am so she could help the kids get ready for school and feed them breakfast before taking them to school. There was already noise that sounded like it was coming from the kitchen so Rachel assumed Finn was probably helping get the kids' lunches together. Part of her cringed away from the thought of having to see him after the way he'd spoken to her the night before. Though she may have been a bit out of line with criticizing his parenting, she definitely wasn't wrong. What could he have been running off to do in so late in the day where he couldn't even spend a second with his kids? She didn't know his job, though. Being a CEO could probably be demanding. He'd probably just got called back in to deal with Japanese guys again, or whoever it was he'd had the meeting with.

Rachel stood up and gathered her hair in her hands, running her fingers through it in a sad attempt to rid it of tangles, and put it up in a messy ponytail. She was already wearing shorts and an oversized T-shirt; she figured that was appropriate to fix the kids breakfast in. Plus, it's not like she cared about what Finn though. Why should she?

Walking into the kitchen, she saw it wasn't Finn who was making all the noise, but rather Abby, who was having a tough time trying to make her and her younger brother cereal. There was Captain Crunch all over the table and the floor, accompanied by milk droplets here and there.

"Hey guys." Rachel said, smiling at the two kids. David was sitting in a chair at the table, his face just barely visible due to his height. He was working on a coloring page vigorously with his little tongue hanging out to the side. He glanced up at Rachel and smiled before going back to his crayons.

"Here you go!" Abby set down a bowl of cereal in front of David a little too roughly and the milk splashed over the sides landing on his coloring page.

"ABBY!" David whined, shaking off his hands to rid them of the milk.

"I'm sorry, David! I didn't mean too…" Abby apologized, hugging her brother from the side.

The little boy sat there for a moment, contemplating on whether to forgive his sister or not. His eyes settled on the bowl of cereal and he licked his lips thirstily before replying, "It's okay. Thank you for my Captain Crunch." Then he began to munch away.

It wasn't until then that Abby turned towards Rachel and greeted her, "Hi Rachel!"

"Where's your dad?" Rachel questioned, looking down the hallway towards his bedroom.

"He's always gone when we get up for school as long as we have a nanny or a babysitter in the house." Abby shrugged as if it didn't bother her.

Even if it didn't seem to bother Abby, it definitely bothered Rachel. What kind of father leaves so early that his five and seven year old children are awake alone in the house? Maybe the other nannies got up with them, though. Maybe Rachel would just have to set her alarm earlier for tomorrow morning. "What about your previous nannies?"

Abby was balancing her bowl of cereal in her hands and set it down on the table more gently than she had David's. "Well," She started off, sitting down and dunking her spoon into the bowl. "I think we've had two. And now three because you!" The little girl mumbled something else that Rachel couldn't make out due to her mouthful of Captain Crunch, although she thought she heard something about glue and a shampoo bottle in there.

Deciding it wasn't worth asking her to repeat it, Rachel simply smiled and asked, "What did they do for your breakfasts in the morning before school?"

David stopped his coloring and looked up, joining the conversation, "We weren't allowed to wake them up! If we did they'd take my toys!" His little mouth turned into a frown as he spoke, probably afraid that Rachel too would take his toys if he woke her up before she was ready to get up.

"Yeah." Abby nodded, chewing a new bite of food. "They told us to never wake them up before 10, not even on school days."

Rachel was shocked. So Finn and the nannies he'd been paying to watch his children had pretty much made the kids do everything on their own for the past, what, six months? They had been making their own breakfasts, playing by themselves, since Finn obviously wasn't interested in spending time playing with them. It made Rachel wonder what else these children had been forced to do alone. Pushing the thoughts and anger that came with them to the side, she clapped her hands and stood up. "I want you guys to know that you're more than welcome to wake me up whenever you need me, whether that's just in the morning to make you breakfast, or if it's in the middle of the night because of a thunderstorm. My door's always unlocked." She smiled before continuing, "Also, tomorrow I'm going to get up super early and fix you guys a big pancake breakfast. What do you think? Do you like pancakes?!"

"PANCAKES?!" David shot up in his chair and accidentally threw the red crayon he was using across the room. He looked at Rachel with wide, puppy dog eyes and nodded vigorously, his tongue slightly hanging out of his mouth as if he were drooling. "I LOVE PANCAKES."

Rachel laughed, "Good!" Then she turned to the other child, "What about you, Abby? Do you like pancakes?"

A smile appeared on Abby's face, too, as she nodded and repeated "yes" many times. "Can I help you make them?"

"Well of course you can! We'll have to get up a little earlier than you usually do, though. Is that okay?" Rachel asked, walking over to the counter and ripping off some paper towels.

"Yeah!" Abby shoved another spoonful of food in her mouth.

"Yay! I'm excited!" Rachel exclaimed honestly. It would be a good treat for the kids to get to do something special. She bent down and wiped up the milk droplets that had missed the bowl and also picked up the pieces of Captain Crunch that were by David's chair. Once she was done, she disposed of the paper towel and crumbs in the trashcan.

"So, what are you guys learning in school?" Rachel inquired, taking a seat at the table.

"I'm learning the alphabet!" David exclaimed, "Want to hear?! A, B, C, D, E, F, G….." He paused, looking around the room as if searching for the next letter, "Well… I haven't learned _all_ of it yet." The little boy smirked before grabbing his orange crayon, distraught over the fact he'd thrown the red one across the room.

_He has the same smirk his father does,_ Rachel thought to herself, smiling. Clearing her throat, she turned to Abby. "And what about you? It looked like you were working on your times tables last night."

"Yep!" Abby said, grinning from ear to ear. "I know my 0s, 1s, 2s, and 5s! The other ones are a little harder to learn, though…"

"That's wonderful Abby! Why don't you see if a friend from school wants to come over later and you can practice your times tables together!" Rachel suggested, clasping her hands together and resting her head on them.

"Daddy doesn't let us have friends over." Abby frowned, picking up the bowl and drinking the remaining milk.

"NO FRIENDS IN THE HOUSE." David yelled, looking at Rachel.

"Yes, David, I just said that." Abby said. Her voice was calm but her tone was annoyed. She was just a little girl but she was wise beyond her years, probably from having to take care of herself and her brother for the past several months.

_Really? No friends over? Is there something wrong with this man?! _Rachel thought to herself, cringing at the thought of a father doing everything she had just found out that these poor kids' father does to them. "Well," She glanced at the clock, "I think it's time for you guys to go to school! Get your shoes on!"

Both of the kids hopped down out of their chairs and went to a coat rack that was near the front door. There, David slipped on a pair of navy blue crocks while Abby fastened her white sandals. After they were done, they each put their backpacks over their shoulders and began to walk out the door. Rachel was slipping on a jacket as they were leaving and called out after them, "Wait, I'll walk you out and wait at the bus stop with you!"

When their nanny reached them at the door, David looked up at her with wide eyes, "Really?!"

Abby added, "You don't have to. No one else usually does."

Rachel smiled, placing a hand on both of their heads and smoothing it down over their hair. "I want to."

After the bus had come around and picked the kids up, Rachel headed back inside the house. It was quiet. The day before she'd been in the house alone but it had been consumed with her unpacking all of her belongings in the guest bedroom Noah had told her that the nannies stay in. Today, she didn't have anything to distract her. She took a look around. Rachel really didn't know much about the family, besides Finn was the CEO of Hudson Inc, maybe if she snooped just a little bit she could find something out. Plus, the house did need cleaning.

Rachel looked through three different closets in the hallway before she found the vacuum cleaner. Plugging it in, she pushed it over the carpet of the living room, throwing David and Abby's toys in a basket beside the couch. As she cleaned, she took note that there weren't any family pictures out on the tables or the fireplace. This seemed a little odd to Rachel. Even if Finn wasn't big on spending time with the kids, one would think there would at least be a picture or two of all of them.

Once she finished the living room, she went through the kitchen, then the hallways, then each of the kids' bedrooms, and finally her room. There wasn't one picture of the family in any of the rooms. David had some drawings that he'd done of the three of them and one that included himself, Abby, Finn, and Finn's wife. Rachel didn't know who his wife's name was since David had simply labeled her "Mommy". Come to think of it, Rachel didn't know anything about Finn's wife. Were they divorced or did she leave? Seems likely if what she'd seen so far reflected how he treats his family all the time.

As she was thinking all of these thoughts, she didn't even realize, until it was too late, that she'd ended up in the room with the blue door. The room that Finn had said was off limits to everyone. It smelled almost dusty, untouched, as if no one had entered the room in months. Rachel knew she should turn around and close the door, forgetting she ever even stumbled into the room in the first place. Unfortunately, curiosity got the best of her. The only light in the room was the light that was flooding into the hallway, so she felt around the wall until her fingers clasped a light switch. Flicking it upwards, the lights came on and a small gasp escaped her mouth as she saw that the room was full of boxes. There was hardly any room to walk, it was so cramped.

Each box was labeled, too: _Taylor's clothes, Taylor's books, Taylor's jewelry,_ the list went on. They were all sealed too, so she wasn't going to open them. Nevertheless, Rachel had to walk around just to look at the collection of items that were being stored in here. As she got deeper into the room, there was less dust and she saw that a box was open. Obviously someone had been in here, maybe not recently but they'd been here.

Rachel approached the box and looked for the label. _Taylor's pictures._ Gently, she lifted the flaps and peered inside. There were piles of family pictures inside.

"Well, that answers the question of where all the pictures are…" Rachel said out loud to herself.

Not only were there pictures, there was also a scrapbook lying right at the top of the stack. Rachel glanced around, even though she knew no one else was there, and lifted the scrapbook out of the box. The picture on the front was beautiful; it was Finn in a suit much nicer than the ones Rachel had seen him wearing so far, and a woman. She was wearing a wedding dress. Finn's arms were laced around the woman's waist and they were grinning at each other.

"So Taylor is his wife." Rachel whispered, flipping the book open to the first page.

There were pictures of Finn and Taylor at their wedding: dancing, cutting the cake, kissing. Little notes in a female's handwriting were scattered all over the pages too. They consisted of thoughts such as, "I love you." and "I'm so glad I said I do."

Rachel smiled and turned the page. Now there were pictures of Taylor as she was pregnant, getting bigger and bigger throughout the pictures. Taylor had written notes on these pages too, things like: "Getting so big." and "Mommy and Daddy can't wait to meet you, Abby!"

Flipping the page, Rachel saw a sonogram and then a picture of Finn holding his new born baby girl. There was so much love in his eyes just seen through that picture that Rachel had to do a double take and make sure it was him. She hadn't seen him look at his kids that way since she'd become a part of their lives.

The next several pages were just snippets of Abby's life growing up, then David came, and there were pictures of the family at the roller rink, at the beach, swimming, etc. By the 9th or 10th page, the pictures had become pretty recent. The kids looked to be about the age they were now. One picture stood out in particularly to Rachel. It was one of the whole family. Taylor was sitting on a bench with Abby in her lap, playing with her hair. Then in the background you could see Finn chasing David. As Rachel got closer, she noticed a smile on Finn's face she'd yet to see him fabricate ever since she'd been there. He looked genuinely happy.

Underneath the picture was dated March 25, 2013. That was just over a year ago.

She turned the page one last time and her heart jumped into her throat as what was in the book processed. It was a newspaper clipping that had been cut out and placed inside the book. The headline read:

**Deadly Car Crash Leaves Man A Widower – March 26, 2013**

"So that's what happened…" Rachel said, almost breathless. The man had lost his wife only 6 months ago. That didn't excuse his behavior towards his kids, but it did give him somewhat of a reason.

There were still pages left in the book but they were all empty. Finn hadn't tried to finish it and had just left it, along with every other picture of the family in this box, in this room, where no one would ever see it. Except him. Rachel assumed he was the one who had been in here, and judging by the open box, he'd been looking at this album, too.

"_Oh, Finn!"_ Rachel heard a woman's voice giggle as a door shut.

"_Just shut up and take your clothes off."_ Finn replied back, his voice husky.

Rachel walked towards the door and peeked through it. Finn was there in the living room with a young woman. She was very tan and had black silky hair, very Latina looking. She had grabbed the bottom of her blouse and pulled it up over her head and was in the process of removing her bra when Rachel very quietly shut the door, not wanting Finn to know she was in the forbidden room and also not wanting to embarrass herself or them by interrupting their intimate moment.

"Oh my gosh." Rachel mumbled to herself, pacing back and forth inside the room. "What is going on?!" She pulled out her phone to look at the time. 12:30. "SHIT!" Rachel shoved her phone back into her pocket and kept pacing. Last night, Finn had told her that everyone was to be out of the house from 12pm to 4pm. She must have gotten so caught up in cleaning and looking through that album that she'd completely forgotten. Now she was trapped in the one room in the house she wasn't supposed to be in while her boss was doing some woman right outside the door.

"_Finn, take your pants off already. I'm going crazy here."_ Rachel heard the woman whine. Following that, she could hear Finn rustling around with his pants and the unzipping noise of his zipper. Next, Rachel just wanted to die. She could hear everything: their moaning, and the comments they made to each other.

Rachel put her fingers in her ears. This was going to be a long afternoon.


	4. Twelve to Four

**Author's Note: We just want to apologize for the delay in this chapter. This last week has been super hectic and a few personal matters interfered with the ability to finish. However, we got it done and it's finally here. Also, we just need to mention that there was a typo in the last chapter. Finn's wife had died the year previous. With that said, we hope you enjoy!**

* * *

"_Oh, Finn!" Rachel heard a woman's voice giggle as a door shut._

"_Just shut up and take your clothes off." Finn replied back, his voice husky._

_Rachel walked towards the door and peeked through it. Finn was there in the living room with a young woman. She was very tan and had black silky hair, very Latina looking. She had grabbed the bottom of her blouse and pulled it up over her head and was in the process of removing her bra when Rachel very quietly shut the door, not wanting Finn to know she was in the forbidden room and also not wanting to embarrass herself or them by interrupting their intimate moment._

"_Oh my gosh." Rachel mumbled to herself, pacing back and forth inside the room. "What is going on?!" She pulled out her phone to look at the time. 12:30. "SHIT!" Rachel shoved her phone back into her pocket and kept pacing. Last night, Finn had told her that everyone was to be out of the house from 12pm to 4pm. She must have gotten so caught up in cleaning and looking through that album that she'd completely forgotten. Now she was trapped in the one room in the house she wasn't supposed to be in while her boss was doing some woman right outside the door._

"_Finn, take your pants off already. I'm going crazy here." Rachel heard the woman whine. Following that, she could hear Finn rustling around with his pants and the unzipping noise of his zipper. Next, Rachel just wanted to die. She could hear everything: their moaning, and the comments they made to each other. _

_Rachel put her fingers in her ears. This was going to be a long afternoon._

* * *

She was infuriated.

Rachel looked down at her watch again and it was 2:30.

"Still?" She mentally exclaimed to herself, as she heard another loud moan.

She had no idea how two human beings could go at it for so long, especially in a location as uncomfortable as the couch.

The past few hours had been filled with disgusting moaning, groans, cries, name-calling, and other noises that would make her physically shudder at the thought. However, what disgusted her the most was the fact that Finn was having all this meaningless sex after such a heartbreaking tragedy struck his family. Didn't he ever think about his wife or his children? Oh god, she hoped that his children never found out about his sexual life. That hopefully explained the 12-4pm rule.

While she was in mid-thought, suddenly, everything went quiet.

Rachel could hear some shuffling and movement, but nothing as loud and obnoxious as the sexual noises the couple was sharing just a minute prior.

Slowly and carefully, Rachel gently opened up the door.

No one in sight.

Without a moment to lose, Rachel booked it out the door, quickly grabbed the keys of the coffee table and ran out of the house. She couldn't risk Finn catching her and losing her job.

As she got into the van and drove towards the kids school, Rachel could feel her anger rise.

What an awful awful man.

Rachel could not help but begin judging the man's character. He had two adorable children that clearly loved him with all their hearts - and now he was all that they had. Yet, he has the audacity to put them on hold and focus on fulfilling his sexual needs. She refused to accept that someone could care so little.

All that Rachel wanted to do was sit Finn down and lecture him - teach him to parent. She didn't exactly have direct experience since she wasn't a mother, but she spent her entire life raising her younger siblings. She knows what it takes to bring up good kids - I mean her brothers and sisters turned out pretty alright. Rachel was definitely proud of them, and the job she had done.

Not even realizing how she did, next thing she knew, Rachel had pulled up outside Abby and David's school. It was only 3:15, which meant 15 minutes until the kids were done school. Knowing that she needed time to process what had just happened and her thoughts about it, Rachel took this opportunity to calm herself down.

_This isn't your family Rachel. None of this matter. In a matter of months, you'll find a newer and better job that doesn't involve an asshole of a boss like Finn. You can do this._

_You can do this._

She kept repeating this thought in her head, almost falling into a trance in attempt to keep her cool.

All of a sudden, she hears a loud ringing and chorus of children.

Rachel looks at the clock - 3:30.

Before it fully clicked that the kids were done school, Abby and David were running up to the car. The look of excitement on their faces when they saw her melted her heart. All those kids were seeking was just a bit of attention and affection. The minute Rachel gave it to them, they didn't want to let go.

"Hey Rachie," David practically chimed as he climbed into the car; his sister followed after him.

"Hey guys, how was your day?"

There was about 30 minutes left until Rachel could bring the kids back home.

"We did fingerpainting today Rachie," replied David as he pulled out a white piece of paper with paint splashed all over it. There was a range of colours mixing together and though the artwork was far from a masterpiece, Rachel admired the pride that beamed off David's little face.

"That's so great David. What about you Abby?"

"My teacher started talking about some weird pretty writing she wants us to learn, cal-caliboraphie," replied Abby, stuttering as she tried to pronounce the long word.

"Sounds like you two had a busy day," grinned Rachel, looking up into the rearview mirror to see the kids beaming.

"I think we should reward you guys with some ice cream."

It was brilliant. Getting the children ice cream would kill enough time for Finn to finish up his...task... and for the children to return to a decent home.

"Ice cream! Ice cream!"

The kids both cheered out loud for their nanny, and with that kind response, Rachel drove off to the ice cream parlor to distract the young ones.

Through the entire outing, she couldn't help but be saddened by the fact that she had to distract two young and innocent children from returning home, just because of the selfish and disgusting behaviour of their father.

As Rachel watched the two kids practically inhale their treat, all she could think about was Taylor, Finn and their tragedy.

* * *

She slowly pushed the door open. Instinctively, Rachel's head rapidly turned right to left as she scanned the room. There was no sign of Finn and his Latina anywhere.

As if she was mimicking James Bond, Rachel carefully moved around the living room to make sure the coast was clear. Quietly, Rachel searched through the rooms on the first place; there was no way she was going to allow for these kids to be scarred for life. When she reached Finn's bedroom, Rachel took a deep breath and then pushed the door open.

Gone.

Finn was nowhere to be found.

Rachel couldn't decide which disgusted her more: his sexual escapades or his absence. Did Finn not realize that these children lacked something serious, and that was the love and affection of their father. It infuriated her that Finn would so selfishly take that away from them.

"What you looking for Rachie?" whispered David, confused by her behavior.

"Yeah, I hope you're not looking for daddy. He's gone," Abby interjected.

Rachel was stunned. Did his kids know of his afternoons? Were they used to him always disappearing? It seemed as though the more time she spent in the Hudsons home, the more she learned about the family and the less she liked about the man of the house.

"Is your dad never home when you two are finished school?"

"Not in a very long time," frowned Abby.

She had no idea what to say. Rachel has babysat before, and nannied for some families, but none had broken her heart as much as this.

"Well, how about you guys get out of your school clothes and change. We can all make dinner together tonight and you two can pick it all out," proposed Rachel, squatting down so she was at eye level with the kids.

"Can we make mac and cheese?" asked David, which caused Abby to cringe.

"No, I want hamburgers. We haven't had homemade hamburgers in so long," Abby added in her own suggestion.

"What do you mean homemade?" their nanny inquired, confused by the young child's use of that word.

"My friend Sarah's mom always makes her real burgers from real meat at home, she calls them 'homemade'. Our nannies just took us to McDonald's whenever we wanted burgers."

Rachel's heart continued to break. Just by speaking to the kids, you could feel how much they've lost since their mother passed away. They didn't even get real home-cooked meals, and it was obvious that they missed that.

"Well we're going to have to change that," grinned Rachel.

Nodding for the kids to follow her, Rachel grabbed the keys and the credit card Finn left for them.

* * *

The kids were sitting in the living room. David was drawing in his colouring book on the coffee table, while Abby sat on the couch attempting to read Dr. Seuss, while Rachel helped her through it.

The door opened up, interrupting the quiet moment with the sound of a loud Finn speaking on his phone.

"Yes Puck, I know. I'll get the paperwork done... For Christ's sake, I just got home. Can you give me a break? Yes, I know I get one. Oh god, does she help. No, you can't share."

Finn's eyes opened wide when he realized the presence of his kids and nanny in the living room.

"Er, um, Puck, I have to go."

With that, the man hangs up his phone and starts yanking off his tie as he walks towards his bedroom.

"Daddy! Daddy!" The kids both jump out of their spots and run towards their father.

Rachel can't help but glare at the man who has treated his children with such a lack of love and affection. Her stomach rolled with disgust at the conversation she had just heard on the phone. She couldn't help but begin to hate the man she was working for.

What happened next only increased her loathing.

David and Abby had run up to their father, attempting to grab their father's attention. However, Finn didn't even stop for a second. Instead of heading for his bedroom, Finn started walking towards his office, but then David grabbed onto Finn's leg.

Rachel swore she could see a vein begin to pop out of his neck as he looked down at his son.

"David. I'm only going to ask you once. Let go of my leg. I have work to do and I don't have time for your childish games."

In less than a second, David had let go and sat back, looking up at his father.

Without saying another word to his children, Finn continued to his office.

"Is there anything for dinner?" He called out into the living room, right before he entered the room.

Rachel swore she could throw something at him, right at the moment, but she had a job to do.

"It's in the oven, staying warm for you. Abby, David and I made burgers," Rachel hollered back at him.

"Yeah could you bring it over?"

Her hands ached to flip him off, but she yelled back an "okay."

When she looked over at the children, Rachel found young David crying, with his older sister holding him.

"It's okay David. Daddy is just busy with work. Don't worry."

Rachel watched as the little girl comforted her younger brother. She patted his head gently, while the boy allowed himself to quietly cry. This was the last straw for her. Rachel had to attempt to try and fix things for this family. She could no longer bare watching these poor innocent children suffer. Maybe if she talked to Finn about it, he would change his ways. It might have sounded ridiculous but she had to do something - for the sake of these innocent and amazing children.

* * *

**We hope you enjoy and please leave us a review!**


	5. Surprise

**Author's Note: Again, we apologize for the delay. This is a really busy time of the year for the two of us, and we are trying as fast as we can to get back on schedule. ****The feedback has been amazing, and we really appreciate it. ****Anyway, we hope you enjoy this chapter! **

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"Abby! David! Are you ready for school?!" Rachel yelled, turning her head away from the stove only slightly. She was in the middle of flipping over a pancake and didn't want it to miss the griddle. For the past couple of weeks, ever since she found out that the kids had been fending for pretty much everything on their own ever since their mother died, Rachel had made it a habit to be awake before they were and get them up and ready. She would go into each of their rooms and kneel by their beds, waking them up by rubbing their back or, Abby's favorite, stroking their hair. It was something they sincerely seemed to enjoy, especially considering it was one of the only displays of affection they received all day due to the fact their father was always at work or screwing someone.

Rachel's face heated as she remembered what it had been like to be stuck in a closet and forced to hear their….noises. She cringed. It had been about a week and a half since that and Finn still had no idea she was onto his disgusting little secret, nevertheless the fact that she'd stumbled into his forbidden room and looked at the photo album. It took everything in her to not say something to him. Rachel wanted to yell at him for putting himself in a situation like that. It wasn't so much the sex that bothered her, although she had to admit there had been a small pang of jealousy that spread throughout her when he and that woman had walked in the door together. It was more the fact that he chose to come home and do the deed, where his kids could walk in on it. Also, the fact that he felt like his sex life was more important than them all together.

Yes, Rachel understood that his wife had died a year previous, but to her, it was almost disrespectful for him to be throwing his body around like some sexually depraved teenager when he could be loving and caring for his kids.

"Rachieeeee!" David's little voice was almost muffled by his footsteps as he ran down the hallway and into the kitchen. "Are my pancakes done yet?!" He walked over to the counter, got onto his tiptoes, and just got his eyes above the edge. "I can't see anything."

This was something else Rachel had done every morning for them. After she had made sure the kids were awake and on their way to brushing their teeth, she would return back into the kitchen and start to make breakfast. This morning she had promised the kids pancakes because today was a special day.

"Just go on and sit down." Rachel laughed as David continuously jumped, hoping to get a better look at what was simmering on the skillet. "I'll bring it to you when it's done."

David took his place at the table, where his sippy cup was full of milk.

"ABBY! The pancakes are almost done!" Rachel yelled back again, since she had yet to hear from the other child since she'd woke her up.

"I'm so excited!" Abby exclaimed as she shut her door and began to skip down the hallway. "All of my friends have already said they can come!" When she made it into the kitchen, she had the largest grin on her face.

"Oh really?" Rachel questioned, smiling back. She scooped out two pancakes on each plate and set a plate in front of each kid. "What about you, David? Are your friends coming?"

"YES!" He yelled, throwing his hands into the air. "I can't believe we get to have a party and it's not even my birthday!"

As the two children began to eat their breakfast, Rachel poured herself a cup of coffee and sipped at it, letting herself get lost in her own thoughts. She had agreed to let the kids have a party at the house. Okay. It wasn't really a _party_, per say. Finn never let them have friends over, and Rachel wasn't too keen on Finn's rules anyways, so she figured it would be nice to let both David and Abby each invite over seven of their friends and their friends' parents. She wasn't planning for it to get too out of control. Just some coloring and toys and maybe a small little make up place where Abby and her friends could give each other makeovers. Rachel had already put a sign on the forbidden room's door and Finn's office door letting everyone know they needed to stay out, plus she assumed everyone would stay in the living room, kitchen, and maybe the kids' bedrooms anyways. With the other adult eyes there, also, it wouldn't be anything wild.

"Michael said his dad is coming and his dad is great at playing dinosaurs!" David yelled, bringing Rachel back into reality. "I love playing dinosaurs. I wish daddy would play dinosaurs with me. He could be the daddy dinosaur and I would be the kid dinosaur and we could be dinosaurs together." He smiled at the thought, shoving a piece of pancake into his mouth and taking a drink from his cup.

"Are you really going to let us put on makeup?!" Abby questioned Rachel, her eyes glowing.

"Yeah! I asked your friends' moms to bring over some stuff like eye shadow and lip gloss and mascara. They'll help you guys put it on." Rachel smiled, taking a seat in between the two siblings.

"Oh… They'll probably help their kids. I'm the only one who won't have a mom." Abby hung her head and frowned, aimlessly shoveling her food around the plate.

Hesitantly, Rachel draper her arm over Abby's shoulders and said with a small smile, "Maybe. But you'll have me, and while I may not be your mom, I think I'm pretty awesome. Don't you?"

Abby lifted her eyes and peered up at Rachel through her hair, "Yeah, you're really awesome." She let out a laugh before puncturing a bite of pancake and sticking it in her mouth.

"That's what I thought." Rachel winked before turning to David and adding, "And if you need me to play dinosaurs with you, your friends, and their dads, just let me know."

The small boy nodded, "Okay! We can have special dinosaur calls! If I need you I'll be like…" Then he let out a loud noise that was somewhere between a lion and a foghorn.

Rachel and Abby hesitated a moment once he was done, looked at each other, and began to laugh wildly. David began to giggle as well, loving that he was the center of attention, and made the noise again.

"I don't think I'll be able to miss that!" The nanny exclaimed after catching her breath. Glancing at the clock above the stove, she stood up and poured the remaining bit of her coffee out. "Okay! Rinse your dishes and put them in the dishwasher then it's off to school!"

Both kids whined as they slowly got out of the chairs and tiptoed over to the sink.

"Hey now." Rachel teased, putting her hands on her hips, "The quicker we get to school, the sooner it'll be over. Then your party can start!"

As soon as those words left her mouth, the children were literally pushing each other out of the way in order to be the first one done cleaning up their mess. David hopped up on the little stool and rinsed his plate first, but as he was getting down, Abby cut in front of him and placed hers in the rack at the bottom of the dishwasher.

"DONE!" Abby yelled, jumping up and down.

David put his plate in the dishwasher and turned to face the two girls. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stomped his left foot, "No fair. She cheated!"

Rachel just chuckled and grabbed her jacket before turning and heading for the front door.

"Race ya to the bus stop." Abby waggled her eyebrows at her little brother and then took off for the coat rack, where she grabbed her backpack, slung it over her shoulder, and proceeded to run for the door.

"NOT FAIR AGAIN!" David stomped his foot, but a smile that appeared seconds later revealed he was completely over losing the race to the dishwasher. He copied his sister's actions by picking up his backpack and ran after her, not too far behind.

"DON'T RUN INTO THE STREET. WAIT FOR ME AT THE STOP SIGN." Rachel called out the door after jumping out of the way as to not get trampled when they ran by. She laughed to herself before shutting the front door behind her.

These kids deserved a great party and a great party was exactly what they were going to get.

* * *

It was 3:59 when Rachel pulled back up to the house. She had left as soon as the bus had picked the kids up and had gone out to get stuff for the kids' party. There was only one more minute left until the four hours they couldn't be at home was up, but she wasn't willing to risk it and go in early. She had seen what it was like to be in the house during those times and it wasn't fun. Not at all. So she sat in the car until the clock turned 4:00, and even then, she hesitated while getting out of the car.

She grabbed all of the stuff she had purchased while out and walked to the front door. After it was unlocked, Rachel nudged the door open with her foot and peered inside, still checking to make sure the coast was clear. _I'm going to have to do this every day because I'm too scared to see that again, _she thought to herself, rolling her eyes as she decided the coast was clear. When she walked in, it didn't look like anyone had been home since she'd been gone, but who really knew? Finn was so good at sneaking around while his children were home, he could be there right now and Rachel never know.

Pushing the thought out of her mind because she sincerely hoped it wasn't true, she set all of the bags down and began setting up. It would only be thirty or so minutes until everyone started showing up so it was a good thing Rachel had made arrangements with one of the parents coming to pick Abby and David up and bring them back home.

In the kitchen, she set out cookies and vegetable trays, paper plates and cups, and apple juice and water bottles. Then she split the living room up. On one side, she moved the furniture out of the way so the boys and their fathers could wrestle, or play dinosaurs, or do whatever and then a couple feet away she laid out the toys David had approved that everyone could play with and some she had picked up at the store. On the other side, she had a table with some mirrors at each chair where the moms would lay out their makeup and the girls could sit and get it done. The opposite side of the table was for drawing; Rachel had dumped out boxes of markers and had a large stack of printer paper laying there for the taking. She was just setting out the lip gloss, eye shadow, and mascara she'd gotten for Abby to use when the doorbell rang.

She was on her way to open the door when David walked in, his head turned behind him talking to one of his friends, "…but I don't have to wait because I live here." Satisfied once his friend nodded in agreement, he turned to face front. As his eyes took in everything around him, a large grin grew on his face. "This. Is. AWESOME!" He yelled, throwing his backpack against the wall and running to where Rachel had set out his toys. His friends followed, as it seemed everyone had arrived at the same time. The parents weren't too far behind the boys, and as they entered they took their shoes off and joined Rachel in the kitchen.

They shook her hand and introduced themselves to her. Many of them made comments about how nice it was for their son to be able to come over, finally. Rachel laughed and nodded, replying that it had been too long since the kids had been able to have friends over.

"I thought it would be nice." She finished her comment just as Abby walked in, leading her pack of friends. Her reaction to what she saw before her was much like David's, however she didn't run straight for the toys, she ran for Rachel.

She threw her arms around her nanny's waste, saying, "Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Over and over again.

Rachel hugged the girl back, a warm feeling spreading through her chest and over her face as she smiled. The kids were genuinely happy and that was nice to see. She had never seen such sincere smiles on their faces. "Of course. Now go have fun!"

With that, Abby set her backpack down and ran over to where her friends were handing out the markers to start coloring.

"This is a great thing you're doing." A deep voice said.

Rachel turned to see one of David's friend's fathers standing there looking at her. "Thank you. They're great kids. They deserve it." She replied with a smile.

"I agree. David's always polite and well-behaved when he comes to my house. That's my son," The man pointed to a boy that was currently rolling on the ground with David, wrestling. "Michael. I'm Sam, Sam Evans." He held his hand out for Rachel to take.

"So that's Michael." Rachel laughed, shaking Sam's hand. "David talks about him all the time. Oh, I'm Rachel."

"Nice to meet you." Sam smiled just as Michael ran over and jumped on his leg.

"Daddy! David and I want to play dinosaurs! Come play with us!" The small boy grabbed his father's hand and began to drag him over to where Rachel had pushed the furniture out of the way.

"Okay son I'm coming!" He said, chuckling at his son's eagerness. Then he turned towards Rachel and shrugged.

Rachel just shook her head and laughed. Looking around, the girls were still coloring. Their moms were conversing with each other and occasionally making praises about their child's art work. The mother of the girl sitting by Abby was also commenting on Abby's work. Rachel smiled. At least she wasn't completely at a disadvantage since her mother was unable to be there.

Her eyes wandered and she saw that the boys were all over the place. Some of them were tackling each other in the empty space, some had dove into the toys she'd set out, and some, like Sam Michael and David, we're crawling around playing dinosaurs. As she scanned over David, he looked up and smiled.

When she waved back, he made that horribly loud noise he had made earlier. _We can have special dinosaur calls!_ Was what he had told Rachel that morning when he had come up with the call in the first place.

His little face was practically glowing. There was so much joy in his eyes and in that smile. Even though crawling on the ground pretending to be a dinosaur wasn't exactly Rachel's definition of fun, it was obvious that was what he wanted. So she nodded and walked over there, getting down on all fours once next to David.

"So how exactly does one play dinosaurs?" She asked, raising an eyebrow at David.

"You'll be the mommy dinosaur and I'll be the kid dinosaur and then Michael will be a kid dinosaur and Mr. Evans will be his daddy dinosaur!" David explained. Once he was done he crawled over to Michael and the two boys began doing what Rachel could only assume was an attempt at communicating by "dinosaur speak". She played along to the best of her ability, mimicking some of the noises the kids made and playfully nudging David in the side with her head. When she do this, he fell over onto his back and began laughing uncontrollably. As soon as he was able to control his laughter and returned to his upright position, he began to chase Michael around and they tried to headbutt each other.

"Rachel?" The nanny turned her head towards the voice, a smile still on her face after watching Michael and David both ram into Sam, knocking him over. It was Abby.

Rachel excused herself from the game with the boys and straightened herself up on her knees so she was eye level with Abby. "What is it, sweetheart?"

"Um..." The little girl had her hands clasped in front of her and was rocking back and forth on her heels, her eyes not leaving the floor. "They're about to do makeovers... And... Will you come do mine with me...?"

Her voice was so soft that Rachel almost didn't hear her. "Makeovers?" She questioned, just confirming she'd understood correctly. After receiving a confirmation nod from Abby, she smiled. "Of course. I told you I would!"

Abby smiled and looked up at Rachel, "Okay! Then let's go!" She grabbed her nanny's hand and dragged her over to the table, where she sat down in the chair in front of the stuff Rachel had set out.

"You must be Rachel," One of the mom's said, turning as she approached the table to stand behind Abby. "I'm Quinn. My daughter is Madison." The little girl in front of the woman turned to wave.

"Yes, hi! Sorry I didn't get the chance to introduce myself earlier, it's been a little busy." Rachel let out a chuckle, shaking the woman's hand.

"So, Finn finally let the kids have friends over?" Quinn asked, grabbing the eyeshadow palate and holding it out to her daughter for her to choose the color she wanted.

"Well..." Rachel hesitated. "Not really." Abby had already chosen a pink for her eyeshadow so Rachel began to apply it.

"I've only met the guy a couple times and both were before..." Quinn let her voice fade out as her eyes shifted to Abby, realizing it may not be best to talk about her mother's death right in front of her.

"Since my mom died." Abby finished her sentence, not opening her eyes since Rachel was in the process of spreading pink powder over them. Her voice was full of sadness but she did a good job of keeping it off her face.

"Right." Quinn's eyes filled with pity as she squeezed Abby's shoulder. "Sorry, sweetie."

"It's okay." The young girl replied, clearly wanting to be done with the conversation.

"Anyways," Quinn continued, skipping to the rest of her story. "I've only met him twice, back then he was full of life and was always throwing David over his shoulder and carrying him around, or having tea parties with Abby and her friends. Now whenever I see him... He's always stiff and sullen. I haven't seen him drop the kids off at school in so long. He used to do that every morning."

Rachel nodded, letting all of that sink in. She tried to picture David being lovingly thrown over his father's shoulder, laughing and trying to resist, but the image just wouldn't form in her mind. It was also hard to believe ever seeing Finn sit at a table and drink make believe tea with his daughter and her friends. In fact, it was hard to see Finn doing anything besides that Latina woman. An involuntary shiver crept down her spine as she remembered that day. "He'll probably be livid when he comes home and finds out I did this, but the kids deserve to have some fun."

Rachel grabbed the mascara and asked Abby to close her eyes, lightly running the brush over her eyelashes. She knew that the girl was only seven but almost everyone at that age gets into their mom's make up box at least once. And, since she didn't have a mom, Rachel thought this would be the perfect opportunity for her to experience getting dressed up and feeling older.

"One more thing." Rachel said, grabbing the lipgloss that added more sparkle than color. She traced Abby's lips with the brush and then asked her to rub her lips together. "There! You're done!"

Abby opened up her eyes and took the hand mirror that Rachel was holding out for her. She looked at herself and grinned. "I look just like a princess! Thank you!" The girl leaned over and hugged Rachel's waist.

"RACHEL!" A loud, booming voice cause Abby to drop the mirror out of surprise. It shattered on the floor, the glass shards barely missing Rachel's legs. That was the least of her worries though. Finn was home. And he was enraged.

"ABBY! DAVID!" The neck on Finn's vein was bulging and Rachel had never seen his face get that red before. His two children ran to stand in front of him within seconds of him yelling their names. "You two know my rules very clearly. No friends. Go. To. Your. Rooms." He was talking through his teeth now. Probably because he'd realized his entrance had caused all of the kids and their parents to stop whatever they were doing and watch him.

Finn's eyes scanned the room as he set his briefcase down. When they landed on Rachel, they slit and he began to march towards her.

Before he reached her, Rachel took in a deep breath and held her head back. He could be as mad as he wanted, but she didn't regret it at all.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Finn demanded.

"I let the kids have some friends over. They've been great for me since I've been here, they deserved a treat." She replied smoothly, not missing a beat.

"A treat?" A dumbfounded look spread across Finn's face and for a moment the rage left his eyes. "A treat? They deserved a treat? Fine. I'm a reasonable guy. I can deal with that. GO GET THEM SOME ICE CREAM." The rage was back.

Rachel slunk backwards into the air as he snapped the last sentence at her with such force, she almost forgot what he was yelling about in the first place. When she remembered, she also remembered that they were not alone. Her eyes moved back and forth, sweeping among the 14 moms and dads that were in the room, all just watching.

Sensing her discomfort, and feeling some of his own, Finn straightened up, fixed his tie, and turned to face everyone. Then, he very calmly said, "The party is over. Thanks for coming. Exit the way you came."

No one hesitated in leaving. Sam and Quinn both shot Rachel a quick wave with a look that seemed to say "good luck", but it definitely didn't take long for the room to clear.

Once they were alone, Finn began pacing. "I just honestly don't understand. You KNEW I didn't allow them to have friends over."

"They're kids, Finn!" Rachel pleaded for him to understand. "They need friends."

Finn stopped and spun on his heels towards Rachel so abruptly she jumped backwards, bumping into the table. "Don't you tell me what my kids need. I'm their father. You're just the help." He waved his hand at her dismissively.

This pissed Rachel off. "You're their father?" Her tone was almost shocked. "Wow. Could have fooled me! How much time do you actually spend with them?" Rachel's confidence at talking back to Finn shocked even herself.

"I work! I don't have time to waste on their games! I make money so they can have what they need."

"FINN, why don't you understand that what they _need_ is their father. Not some man who goes around banging any girl he lays his eyes on!" As soon as the words had exited her lips she regretted saying them. "I..." She started to apologize but decided against it, wanting to see what he response would be.

Finn grew quiet. Quieter than Rachel had seen him get. Then he just walked past her and into his office, shutting and locking the doors behind him.

For a moment, Rachel stood there unmoved, so shocked that she had actually said those words to him. To her boss!

"Oh my gosh, what have I done?" She whispered

"Abby?" Rachel whispered, sticking her head through the crack in the door and knocking lightly. She saw that the young girl was still awake so she opened the door all the way, "Can I come in for a second?"

Abby nodded and sat up in bed, her teddy bear snuggled under her arm. "Thank you for the nice party."

Rachel's heart broke. She felt horrible that the kids had gotten into trouble with their father. "Of course. I am so sorry that your dad got mad at you, though. I didn't think that would happen. I thought he would only be mad with me." Rachel confessed as she sat down on the bed.

"It's okay." Abby shrugged, holding her bear tightly. "It's not your fault. Daddy's just been mad ever since mommy died. Madison's mom was right. He's different. He doesn't play with us like he used to. It makes me sad." Tears began to drip out of her eyes.

"Honey. Your daddy loves you very much, he's just have a tough time. He may not be great at showing you, but he cares a lot." Rachel wasn't even sure if she believed what she was saying. "Everything will work out eventually. Now go to sleep." She leaned forward and placed a kiss on Abby's head.

Abby shrunk back into her bed and lay her head on the pillow. As Rachel was about to close the door, she heard the child sniffing and turned around. "Did he come tell you goodnight?"

"While you were in the shower." Abby replied before yawning and closing her eyes, a few tears escaping down her cheek.

Once the door was closed, Rachel took a moment. Finn had waited until she was in the shower to go and say a brief goodnight to the kids. She had really messed up. He had deserved everything she'd said but it had put her job on the line for it to be said. Really, it wasn't losing her job she was concerned with. It was losing the opportunity to help out this family the best she could; to help these kids get their father back and to help Finn find himself and move on from a tragedy in the past he was obviously still obsessed with. She needed to make this right.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed and please review! :)**


	6. Llamas

**Author's Note: We apologize for the wait but sometimes work and school gets in our way. Either way, we hope you like this chapter!**

* * *

It's been a week since the party.

It was as if Finn was a ghost. After the fiasco that was almost a success, Finn avoided the house at all costs. Every encounter between the two of them was awkward and uncomfortable. Finn didn't know what to say to Rachel - as he was still angry that she broke his rules. It was Rachel's stubbornness to apologize that truly created the tension. In her eyes, she had done nothing wrong - she was showing love and affection to kids. Abby and David were two young, innocent and adorable children that needed nothing in their life but love - the one thing their father was no longer providing. She had hoped that throwing the party would begin turning things around for the family, but it had done the complete opposite.

Since she wouldn't apologize as he expected, Finn had turned to giving Rachel the silent treatment. He knew he couldn't afford to fire her, but he refused to apologize for his rage. It had escalated to the point that neither would even look at each other. If they crossed paths, both would look down and avoid eye contact. It was as if, if one of them looked at each other, they were afraid that all the anger would come back to them. Rachel had never felt so much tension in her lifetime, and that's saying a lot considering her childhood dealing with siblings that loved using the silent treatment.

Unfortunately, the two adults behaviour began to affect the children. Abby and David had begun to notice the tension within the house. More importantly, they started to notice Finn's absence more than ever.

"Rachie?" David asked.

"Yes David?"

"Where's daddy?" The little boy continues, frowning as he plays with the food on his plate.

"Well to be honest David, I'm not really sure," Rachel decided to answer truthfully.

Dinner with the kids had become slightly more silent as the lack of Finn, whether it was for a five minute pop in or a place at the table, became the elephant in the room.

"Are you two still fighting?" bluntly inquired Abby - that girl truly was straightforward.

"I don't think so."

Rachel didn't know what to say. She and Finn weren't exactly fighting, but their personal friendship was not going well.

"I miss Daddy. He ownly comes at nighwt," David added.

"Yeah, I hear him sneaking at night," joined in Abby.

"I know guys - I guess he's just busy with work, but don't worry I'll talk to him," said Rachel, hoping to raise their spirits.

"Do you promwise?"

"I promise," she replied.

"Pinky swear?" added Abby.

Rachel lifted up her pinky, and slightly chuckled, as the three of them interlocked pinky fingers.

The minute the promise was made, Rachel knew what she had to do. As right as she knew she was in the situation, she had to be the bigger person and talk to Finn. They had to discuss the problem - for the children's sake.

She couldn't help the nerves she felt Rachel thought about having that conversation.

0-0

It was 1 in the morning when the door knob finally turned. Rachel had been sitting in the living room waiting for Finn's return so they could have a talk that was clearly needed.

"Late night?" she spoke up.

Finn jumped up, letting out a sound of shock. He had not expected anyone to be awake during his arrival, and he was certainly hoping Rachel would not be.

"Er, um yes. Not like its your business. You are the nanny," Finn spat back.

She was almost hurt by the animosity and the condescending tone in his voice, but Rachel shrugged it off knowing that they couldn't avoid the topic any longer. She had made a promise to those kids.

"Finn, we need to talk."

He started marching towards his room, not stopping.

"Last time I checked, it wasn't your job to talk."

Rachel could fill her hands roll up into fists, as her anger began to swell up.

"We need to discuss things in this household. For the sake of the kids."

Finn paused, and turned to finally look at her.

"What about them?" His slow answer almost came out as a growl through his teeth.

"They miss you. I've tried to tell you over and over again. They need a father."

"They have a father, god damn it, Rachel. I'm right here," Finn's vein returned and his face turned red as he began to yell at her.

"No, you're not. You've been missing for the past week. Sneaking in at 1am? Yeah, that's totally there for them. And what, you're gone before they wake up. You being here, or even any form of a father is a joke," she spat back at him - the fury she felt finally flew out of her.

"How DARE you?!"

"Don't play the victim. You know you haven't been here. You would have to be blind or dumb to think you spend time with those kids, or even give them love or affection. Please Finn, I'm begging you to change that," Rachel retorted.

Finn went silent, and Rachel could see that he was starting to really listen to her.

"I know you love those kids. They are too amazing not to fall in love with, but you need to show them that. They are just kids and they can't hold on to the past memories forever." Rachel's voice softened as she continued.

Shock sparked through her as she watched a tear roll down Finn's cheek.

Silence.

"I'm sorry I threw that party, but I was just trying to show the kids that people do care about them - something they are missing."

"Stop," Finn finally spoke up, "Just tell me how."

His voice almost choked as he asked her the question.

Rachel had to keep herself from smiling. She had finally broken through the shell and already had a plan in mind.

"The zoo."

"The zoo?" Finn echoed her, his voice filled with confusion.

* * *

She had never seen the kids smile as widely as they did when they entered the zoo. The moment they went past the gates, Abby and David ran towards the cages. From the giraffes to the lions, the children were in awe of all the wild animals. Rachel couldn't help but grin as David roared at the lions, or Abby petted the dolphins. The kids were having the time of their life, except for one little thing: Finn.

The man would not get off his cell phone. From the moment they entered the zoo, he was on the phone working out business deals and discussing work with Puck. He said that he would attempt to work on his relationship with his kids, but as the kids discovered the animals, Finn strolled around - walking aimlessly and ignoring them. Rachel couldn't help but get frustrated and angry. He was definitely not showing much effort - effort that the children deserved.

"Finn," she hissed at him, when Rachel got close enough to his wandering body.

The look of pure disappointment she shot at him seemed to have an effect because all of a sudden, Finn closed his phone.

Without saying a word to Rachel, Finn walked over to David who was currently standing outside the monkey cage and imitating them.

"Hey bud, what you doing?"

"I'm being a monkwey. Aren't they so cool?" David explained, while continuing to act like the animals behind the cage.

"David, you look ridiculous," scorned Finn.

The boy instantly stopped what he was doing. His face dropped into a frown, and just as he was about to turn around and walk away from the monkeys, Finn took everyone by surprise. He lifted up the little boy into his arms, and grinned at him.

"You can't be a monkey if you don't swing from a tree," the man chuckled before flipping the little boy over his shoulder. His grasp was tight so the boy wouldn't fall. David instantly returned to his monkey behaviour.

The beaming smile that appeared on not only the kids faces (including Abby as she watched her brother and father interact), but the grin on Finn's face could brighten the entire park.

With that one moment, the entire trip took a turn. Though his phone went off, Finn ignored everyone phone call. His attention was solely on his kids, even on Rachel. The four of them strolled through the park; the laughing never ceased to end.

Rachel watched as Finn had both his kids at his side, helping them feed the llamas at the petting zoo. This was the most entertaining moment of the evening as Rachel had never seen such a bright light in those kids eyes. Finn squatted down next to his small kids, and helped each one lay out their hand to be licked by the animal. She watched as the kids giggled incessantly as the llama slobbered all over their hands. However, it was the smile on Finn's face that truly made the moment - it was the first true smile she had seen on the man's face since she began working for him.

With the kids enjoying the activity so much, it didn't take long for them to run out of food for the llamas.

"Daddy, can we have mowe food for the cute wama?" asked David, as he stood really close to the animal, staring at it.

"How about we get some food into you guys?" replied their father, pointing out what Rachel had forgotten. They were having so much fun that they had completely forgotten about lunch. She was surprised the kids hadn't complained up to this point - those kids loved their food.

"Rachel" she hears her name being called, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?"

"Are you coming?" Abby asks playfully, yanking at her hand in the direction of the boys who were already heading towards the food area.

"Of course."

The day was turning out to be perfect - exactly what this family needed.

* * *

After a long day of adventuring around the zoo, Rachel was't surprised when the kids fell fast asleep on the drive home. The car ride back was quiet, as Finn drove and Rachel simply stared out the window replaying the day in her head. Secretly, she was hoping that she and Finn could have a discussion about new rules after the day's success but he had not uttered a word.

When they pulled up to the house, there was still no exchange as each adult got out of the car and opened the back door. Carefully, Finn lifted Abby up into his arms which Rachel imitated with David. Once David was in her arms, he readjusted to sleeping more comfortably in her arms as they walked up to the house.

Finn was strong enough to hold Abby on one side while unlocking the door with his other hand. They entered the house and each brought the children to their individual rooms. Rachel tucked David in carefully, ignoring the fact that he was still in his jeans - something she'll hear complaints about in the morning. The little boy was just too precious to wake up so with a light kiss on the forehead and a whispered goodnight, Rachel closed his door behind her and headed straight for her room.

On her way to the her bedroom, Rachel hears Finn call her name.

"Rachel, how about a coffee?"

She had no idea why, but the genuine smile on his face whilst asking her made something within her flutter. Maybe it was pride in him for his good fatherly behaviour but it felt like something else.

"Sure," she returned the smile and began walking towards the kitchen to put on a pot.

Finn sat on a bar stool, watching her from behind the counter.

The silence from the car ride returned - but this time, Finn filled it by gazing at the short brunette. Rachel could feel heat spread to her cheeks as she blushed from the attention.

"So, er," Finn rubbed the back of his head before continuing, "I really want to thank you for what you did for my family."

Finally, they were having the conversation that she was awaiting.

"I didn't really do anything Finn. I was just telling you the truth."

Rachel turned her back to him and began assembling the coffee, remembering what he liked in his from a brief conversation they had when she first arrived.

"Don't be modest Rachel. I really needed a kick in the butt and you're the first person in a long time to call me out on my idiocy. Ever since," Finn paused.

Rachel walked over with both cups and took a seat next to him. Placing his cup in front of him, she gave him a smile and nodded for him to continue.

"It's just been a really long time since someone was so brutal with me out of caring. Nowadays, all conversations are about money and business. All the other nannies only ever cared about when their next paycheck would be signed by me. It means a lot that you care about the kids."

Finn moved a little closer to her as he finished.

Another pause.

Not conscious of her own actions, Rachel didn't realize that she was staring at Finn. She had never noticed the beautiful hazel-tint in his eyes. Finn was actually a very attractive man. For the first time, Rachel was realizing his chiseled chest through his t-shirt as he sat up straight and faced her; she noticed his strong cheekbones. However, one of the most prominent feature she had blindly missed was the dimples that appeared when his lips would turn up into a smile. Finn was a beautiful man and it shocked her that she was just noticing.

Rachel finally realized that it was her turn to continue the conversation, as Finn looked at her for continuance.

She almost choked on her words but replied, "You have two amazing kids Finn. It was a shame to watch you miss so many moments. They really really love you."

The two were a bit closer than before, both just looking at one another.

"Thank you," he silently whispered, "You're amazing with them."

"I'm just doing my job," she retorts.

"No, you're amazing. I've noticed the smiles on my kids' faces every time you're simply in the room. You treat them with so much love and affection - it just blows my mind. We got so lucky."

Rachel didn't realize how it happened so quickly, but next thing she knew, Finn's face was mere centimeters apart, his beautiful hazel eyes staring into hers.

"You're really beautiful Rachel," he whispered before beginning to slowly lean in and close the distance between them. She could feel herself melt as Finn drew nearer but before his lips finally touched hers, a loud ringing went off that pulled his attention away.

"Shit," Finn instantly pulled away and grabbed his phone out of his pocket.

Rachel couldn't help the blush that returned to her face. Had they actually almost kissed? She knew that it was unprofessional to have any form of relation with her boss, but she couldn't help it. Though she may have ignored it before, after their conversation, Rachel really began to believe that there was a spark between them and she couldn't ignore the butterflies he had just brought to her stomach. Rachel really wanted him to kiss her.

She was almost infuriated that he had ruined the moment by answering her phone, but before Rachel could allow herself to get angry she reminded herself of their circumstances. He was her boss and he paid the checks. Work came first.

"Hey Puck"

"I'm kind of busy right now."

The young girl almost beamed at his response but kept her cool. He didn't just brush their moment off as if it was nothing.

However, the moment was ruined. Understanding that it was probably an important conversation, Rachel got up from her stool and began putting away her cup. Way too much had just happened and her head was spinning, it was probably best if Rachel headed to bed.

"Shit, I totally forgot."

"No, I'm not bringing Santana."

Finn looked over at Rachel as he spoke the words.

"Do I have to go?"

"Fine, Fine. I know it's my obligation to the company. I'll figure something out."

Rachel began to head towards her room, leaving Finn to his phone call. There was clearly something important happening at work.

However, she was taken by surprise when Finn hollered at her.

"Rachel, wait!"

Finn got up from the table and walked towards Rachel who froze in place.

She turned to him and looked up at those hazel eyes once more, and with a wide grin - those dimples appearing - Finn asked her a question that took her by surprise.

"Do you want to go to a party?"

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**Hope you enjoyed! Please leave some feedback :)**


	7. Fit In

**Author's Note: Sorry the update has taken so long. Raeah had graduation this past weekend and we've just been really busy. We appreciate your patience. Here's the next update!**

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"I know it's really late, mom." Finn said, his voice hushed. "I- I'm sorry. Yes. Yes, mom. I know it's been months since I last called. I'm sorry. I… Mo-… Ca-… Mom! Will you please just come and watch the kids? Yes, I have a nanny. Because she's my date to this work party I have to go to! No, not a date date, just a friend date." Finn glanced through the cracked door. He just barely caught a glance of Rachel stepping into the dress before she wobbled out of his view. A small smile crept onto his face. "Well, for now. You will? Great! See you in 10." He ended the call and stuffed his phone back in his pocket, turning to face the wall with his back to the door.

"Finn, are you sure this is a good idea? I'm not really on the same social level as you or your other business friends… I mean, I nanny for your kids." Rachel questioned from behind the cracked door. She was in the process of slipping into the most elegant dress she owned.

"It'll be fine. Besides, none of them will know you're my nanny so who cares." Finn replied. "Are you dressed? We have to leave, like now." He was tapping his foot impatiently against the hardwood.

There was the movement of fabric and some irritated grunts that could be heard from inside of the room before Rachel finally replied, "It's on, but I can't reach to get the zipper up all the way. Would you, uh, mind helping me?" She hooked her foot around the door and swung it open, turning so her back was to him.

As Finn stepped in, ready to help her zip up the dress, he hesitated. The zipper slit was open all the way down to her lower back. Rachel grabbed her hair and pulled it up over her head so it would be out of the way, exposing more of her skin. Seeing this much of her was such a tease, especially after the moment they'd shared before Puck's phone call.

"Finn?" She called, still holding her hair above her head.

Realizing he was still staring at her exposed lower back, he cleared his throat. "Yep." Finn grabbed the zipper and slowly zipped her dress up. His eyes trailed her skin as it disappeared behind the sealed dress. "There you go." He replied, taking a step back, fidgeting with his tie.

Rachel let down her hair, which she had curled as perfectly as she could within the 15 minutes she'd had to get ready. She messed with it a little until it lay as it should on her shoulders, falling to midway down her back. Then she turned around. "Well?" She asked expectantly, a small, uncomfortable smile formed on her face. Her eyes met Finn's and then darted to the ground, suddenly aware that he was _really_ looking at her.

When she turned around, Finn's breath caught. She looked absolutely stunning. The black material fit to her body perfectly, hugging every curve and then flowing to the floor elegantly. The top tied around her neck and then traveled down into a v-neck that only went just deep enough as to expose the right amount of cleavage. "You… You look amazing."

The woman's face lit up at the compliment. "You really think so?" After receiving a reassuring nod from her boss, she walked over to her dresser and grabbed a necklace. "Would you mind helping me put this on?" Rachel asked, returning to her spot in front of Finn.

As he took the necklace from her hand, she spun her back to him and once again brought her hair above her head. Finn gently looped the necklace around her neck and fastened it, allowing his hands to trace down her exposed arms when he was done. He felt her shiver underneath his touch and smirked that he could make her feel that way. "My mom should be here any-" Before he could finish his sentence, he heard the doorbell ring. "Minute." Finn completed his through anyways.

He walked to the front door and opened it, mentally preparing himself for the greeting he was bound to receive considering it had been months since he'd last spoken to his mother.

"Finny!" Mrs. Hudson exclaimed as she entered the house, throwing her arms around her son.

"Mom, the kids are sleeping." Finn replied back in a whisper, but there was laughter in his eyes. He placed a kiss on top of his mom's head as he hugged her back.

"Right, right. I'm sorry." Mrs. Hudson whispered back.

Rachel smiled at the interaction and then subconsciously checked her watch, knowing her and Finn needed to get going if they were going to make it on time.

"Oh!" Finn said, his voice still quiet. "Mom, this is Rachel." He placed a hand on the small of Rachel's back, gently urging her forward. "She nannies the kids and is doing me a huge favor by being my date to this party."

"Hi, nice to meet you Mrs. Hudson." Rachel smiled, extending her hand out to the woman.

"Please, call me Carole!" Finn's mother ignored the outstretched hand and went in for a hug.

Rachel laughed and hugged the woman back. It was strange that this woman was so welcoming and just naturally charming, yet none of that seemed to have rubbed off on Finn. Then again, she hadn't known him before his wife died. Who knew what he had actually been like before.

After the women parted, Finn glanced at his watch. "Mom, thank you again for doing this. Rachel and I have to go, though. I'll see you tonight." He placed another kiss on her head and then turned to Rachel. "Ready?"

Nodding, she laced her arm through his outstretched one and took in a deep breath. "Ready."

0-0

The party was in a large conference room located on the lobby level of Hudson Inc. There were people everywhere. Rachel had just stepped foot inside the building and she was already immensely uncomfortable. Everyone was wearing suits and fancy dresses. While she knew she fit the part on the outside, inside she had never felt so insignificant.

"Oh boy, I don't know if I can do this." Rachel whispered to Finn as she looked around, still taking in her surroundings.

"You look beautiful. You'll be fine. Just be yourself and everyone will love you." He said back through a smile. "Here comes Puck and one of the other guys that works in the office."

Rachel and Finn were approached by Puck and a man that looked to be several years older than Finn. He greeted Finn with a pat on the back. "Hey, boss."

"Will! How's the family?" Finn questioned, shaking the man's hand.

"Emma and Daniel are doing good, thanks for asking!"

"Rachel, this is Will. Will, this is my…. This is Rachel!" Finn made the introduction with a hand on the small of Rachel's back and a smirk on his face.

"It's a pleasure to meet you." Will took Rachel's hand and brought it to his lips, placing a kiss on it.

The young woman laughed, her face heating up as the blood rushed to her cheeks. "Nice to meet you too!"

"Might I just say, you and Finn make a wonderful couple!" Will exclaimed, smiling at the two of them.

Rachel glanced at Finn, her face turning even redder than it was. "Actually we're not…"

"Not ashamed to agree with you." Puck jumped in, speaking for the first time since he'd walked over. "Right you guys?" He looked at Finn with such intensity, Rachel picked up on the secret message he was trying to pass on.

Immediately, Finn laced his arm around Rachel's waist and pulled her against his body. "That's right." He smiled, pressing his lips to her temple. He could feel her stiffen underneath his grasp, but when he snuck a look at her face, she was smiling as if it all was very natural.

"Well, I'm just glad someone was finally able to rein him in." Will winked at Rachel, who all too well understood the behavior of Finn's he was referring to. She shivered, remembering when she'd been stuck in that room, forced to listen to him and that Latina for hours.

She forced a laugh, "Yeah. I sure did it." Placing a hand on his chest, Rachel glanced up at Finn and shot him a "get him out of here" look.

Finn caught on, "Hey, Will. Can you see if Mike is around anywhere?"

"Yeah! No problem!" Will agreed. "It was nice to meet you." He waved at Rachel before he returned back to the rest of the party.

As soon as he was gone, Finn released Rachel and whipped around to face her and Puck. "What the hell?"

"I'm sorry; I just think it would be better for you if she acted as your date instead of your kids' nanny. It might do something for your image around here, which as we all know is lacking." Puck smirked.

"So, you want me to act like his girlfriend for the night?" Rachel questioned, making sure she was understanding everything correctly.

"Exactly!" Puck exclaimed, smacking Finn on the back. "Just hold hands, flirt a little, and don't tell anyone you're his nanny."

"Rachel, you don't have to do that." Finn said, aware of how little that could make her feel. He didn't want her to think that all the nice moments they'd shared together and the progress he'd made had just been some rouse to boost his image in the business. He couldn't lie, it did sound like an interesting idea even if it would just last for the night. However, if that wasn't something she was comfortable with, he wasn't going to force her into it.

Rachel took a moment to think it over, her eyes moving from Finn to the party and then back again. Once they rested on Finn, she smiled a small smile and nodded, "I'll do it."

He tried to keep the relief off of his face, but it was difficult to. This would do wonders for how everyone viewed him, thinking he had finally settled down and was done screwing all the secretaries, including Santana; but it would also give him a chance to be close to Rachel.

"Good to know…" Puck said in a strained voice, he was watching over their shoulders, where the party was. "Here comes the perfect test to see if you can pull it off. Got to go. Find me later. Good luck." The words stumbled out of his mouth so quickly, Finn wasn't even sure he'd heard him correctly until…

"Hey, Finn." The seductive, Latina voice caused both Finn and Rachel to freeze. Santana placed her hand on Finn's shoulder and sensually ran it down his arm.

As Finn turned to face Santana, he replaced his arm around Rachel's waist, being sure to keep her close.

"Hey, Santana." Finn smiled, pulling Rachel even closer to his side.

"Who's this?" Santana asked, resting a hand on her hip and shooting Rachel a dirty look.

Finn opened his mouth but Rachel cut him off before he could answer, "I'm Rachel, Finn's girlfriend." She extended her hand out to Santana, which earned her a smile and a kiss on the cheek from Finn.

The disgusted look on Santana's face lasted only a moment before she recomposed herself and returned her gaze to Finn, "Babe, I didn't know you were with someone the last time we were together." She traced a finger down his chest, throwing another dirty look at Rachel.

This made Rachel's blood boil. Her and Finn may not actually have been together, but even in a fake relationship she wasn't going to let anyone treat her like that. She looked lovingly up at Finn, who turned to meet her gaze. When they locked eyes, something in her exploded and the butterflies in her stomach were going crazy, but she pushed all of that aside and focused on the thought of what Santana had just done. "He may have been with you _before_ we were together, but I can tell you it won't be happening while I'm in the picture." She turned her eyes to Santana and raised an eyebrow at her. "Got it?"

Santana was stunned. No one had ever spoken to her like that and still maintained eye contact. She looked back at Finn, expecting some sort of encouragement that Rachel was out of her mind, like a wink or something but all she saw was him looking down at Rachel with this glimmer in his eye, laughing. "We'll see about that." She said before turning around and walking away.

Finn watched Santana walk away and then turned back to Rachel, a giant smile on his face. "That was awesome!"

"Really? It was kind of terrifying." Rachel said, biting her bottom lip and glancing after Santana. "She's scary."

Finn laughed, his face only a couple inches from Rachel's. "Now that is something I can definitely agree with. She can be intimidating."

"Finn!" A voice called.

Both of the adults turned to see who was yelling after them. It was Will. There was an Asian man behind him.

"I found Mike!" Will called as he reached the couple, stopping in front of them.

"Hey, Mike!" Finn exclaimed, searching his brain and trying to come up with a fake reason for sending Will off to retrieve him. "I just wanted to make sure you'd gotten my email about those files on the inputs."

"Sure did! Those aren't due for another two weeks though, right?" Mike's face looked panicked, afraid that he had maybe misread the due date.

"Oh, yeah!" Finn said, quickly reassuring his coworker. "I just wanted to make sure you'd gotten them!"

"Okay, yeah. I did." Mike replied, his eyes glancing over at the woman on Finn's arm. He cleared his throat.

"What?" Finn followed Mike's eyes to Rachel. "Oh! Sorry! Mike, this is my girlfriend Rachel."

Rachel extended her hand, "Hi, nice to meet you."

Mike took it and shook it, "And you as well." He smirked, glancing up at Finn and then back to Rachel. "Was that all you needed me for? Because if so, I'll let you two get back to the party."

"Actually," Finn replied, "I think Rachel and I are going to head out. The kids are asleep and I wouldn't want them to wake up in the middle of the night and me not be there."

Mike, Will, and Puck who was walking over to tell them something, froze. This was a side of Finn they'd never seen. Usually, he didn't give two shits about his kids and now he was about to leave a party early to go be with them.

"Good for you! I should probably be getting back to my son, too." Will replied, a smile on his face, obviously a supporter of this new Finn. "I'll see you at the office." He said, walking out the door.

"Oh, okay! See you Monday!" Mike said, turning to return back to the party.

"Really?!" Puck was baffled. "You're going to leave a party with alcohol to go be with your kids who are asleep?"

Finn looked at Rachel, who looked back up at him. "Yeah, I am." He smiled at Puck, "See ya later."

"Mom?" Finn whispered as he opened the front door. He looked around the living room and saw his mom asleep on the couch. "She could have gotten into my bed, or even yours. I would have woken her up when we got back." He said to Rachel as he gently shook his mother awake.

"What is it?" She asked, groggily rubbing her eyes.

"We're back. You can go back home, or stay here for the night if you'd like. You can take my bed. I'm sure the kids would love to see you." Finn offered with a smile.

Carole stretched before standing up and wrapping her arms around her son. "I'd love to see them, honey, but I left the cat at home and I didn't leave him out any food. Another time, for sure. Don't be a stranger anymore, okay?" She started walking towards the door but stopped as she passed Rachel. "It was wonderful to meet you, my dear." Then she leaned in and whispered, "Whatever you've done to him, whatever's made him open to happiness, keep it up." After she hugged Rachel, she waved one last time to Finn and walked out the door.

"She's nice!" Rachel said once Carole was gone, walking towards the hallway.

Finn followed her, "Yeah, I'd forgotten how great she was. Honestly, it's been months since I last spoke to her."

"Oh really?" Rachel questioned, stopping when she got to the door to her room and turning to face Finn.

"Yeah, but I don't really want to talk about it." He shifted uncomfortably. "So, was tonight really as bad as you thought it was going to be?"

The woman smiled, "Actually, no. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was kind of intimidating at first, but once I was introduced as your girlfriend instead of your nanny, I don't know, it made it a lot easier. Ya know? If they had known I was just a nanny for your kids, they wouldn't have treated me as nicely as they did."

Finn shrugged, "I don't know. They're not all shallow. Santana though, if she knew, it would not end well for you." He laughed a little and subconsciously took two steps forward.

Rachel backed up with him until her back was pressed against the door. Her breath sped up as she realized what could possibly be about to happen. "Yeah. It was a good thing I was playing the role as your girlfriend tonight." A nervous laugh escaped her lips.

"Right, well, goodnight." Without thinking, Finn leaned forward and pressed his lips to Rachel's, electricity surging through him as soon as they touched. He pressed one of his hands against the door to steady himself as he leaned close to her and the other he tangled in her hair. It was an amazing feelings as she kissed him back, both of her hands cupping his face. He had kissed many women since his wife died in meaningless hookups, but this was the first time he'd felt the way about someone that he had about his wife. This realization caused him to pull back, his eyes wide. "Uh… Goodnight." Then he turned and walked off.

Rachel immediately went into her room, closed the door, and sat down on the bed. She raised a hand to her lips, the heat of his kiss still there. "Goodnight." She whispered, even though she knew he could no longer hear her.

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**Oh my!**

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	8. Check

**Author's Note: Again, we apologize for the long wait. This chapter wasn't an easy one to right, but no excuses, we're going to try our best to update quicker. Hope this chapter was worth the wait, and one last thing... Thank you SO much for all the feedback! You guys are the best :)**

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He woke up that morning with a sensation still tingling through him. As Finn rolled over onto his back, in his empty bed, his right arm reached up to touch his lips. It was all he could think about since that moment. Her lips felt so perfect pressed up against his own. Finn can't remember the last time that kissing a woman sent so many sensations through his body that wasn't directly linked to his buddy downstairs. He had gone to bed grinning from ear-to-ear as the moment replayed in his head and he woke up bearing that same grin.

"Why the hell did I do that?" mumbled Finn, running his hand through his hair.

As amazing as that kiss was, it was inappropriate. She was still his nanny - an employee. A part of him almost snickered at the hypocrisy of the thought since he was banging Santana, his secretary, merely a week ago, but Finn couldn't help the feeling of this being something different. Finn didn't want Rachel to just be another employee that he got his way with. There was something about her - the way she smiled; the way his kids smiled when she was around; the way _he_ smiled when she was around. Oh, Rachel Berry. The random pick that ended up being the beautiful brunette to start shaking things up in his mind and world.

Finn rolled over and stared at his desk clock. _6:35am_.

He really should get up and ready. After leaving that party early, Finn would most definitely be expected to do a little damage control in the office. That was extremely unlike him, or at least what people perceived was him.

With a groan, the tall fit man got out of bed and groggily walked over to his walk-in closet to find today's suit.

0-0

Awkward was the only word that kept reappearing in Rachel's head that morning.

She couldn't sleep all night. All she could think about was that kiss: the way his lips felt on hers or the tingles that spread through her at his touch. The more she thought about it, the more her mind wandered. Just the idea of that kiss going a little deeper, or his touches becoming more intimate made her toes curl. Her dreams went wild that evening but they were replaced by the unfortunate reminder that Finn was her boss: no matter the connection that she felt they shared, he was her employer and that was a line she swore to never cross.

When Finn came down earlier than expected, there was a tension that immediately filled up the room. The kids weren't there to keep her busy, and every time she looked up at him, her cheeks would flush.

The problem was that as much as she wanted to talk about what had happened, she knew that she couldn't; at least, not unless he brought it up first. Rachel had put herself in a complex situation - especially since she had spent her entire life working so hard and never mixing pleasure with work.

As she headed over to the stove to start frying up some eggs, Finn decided to coincidentally walk to the fridge to grab some milk - walking right past Rachel. However, with the tension that loomed in the room, instead of staying out of each other's way, Rachel and Finn collided right into one another.

"No!" Exclaimed Finn, as he felt a wetness on his chest.

Rachel had broken an egg during their collision, spreading the yolk all over his black dress shirt. Instantly, she expected the worst. Finn's face turned bright red, as he looked down at the mess. She was taken by surprise when Finn suddenly began taking deep breaths, and the vein on his neck disappeared quickly.

Seeing his calm state, Rachel hurried to help clean him. Grabbing a wet cloth, she began dabbing at his shirt - forgetting that it was still on him and water was just soaking through onto his chest. She was so focused on trying to get the yolk off, that Rachel didn't realize that Finn's hands were now on hers.

"Rachel," he repeated.

Her focus switched to the handsome man in front of her. She looked up at his bright hazel eyes, and saw that instead of a frown, Finn was smiling down at her. Shivers sparked through her as she realized that he was touching her. The two just stopped and stared at each other, not saying a word until Finn looked back down at his now ruined shirt and began to laugh. They were so engrossed in their laughter that they didn't notice that the kids had come down for breakfast.

"What's so funny?" asked David, a confused look plastered onto his face.

"Daddy, why is there gooey stuff all over you?" added Abby, being the first one to head towards her father and actually see the cause.

Immediately, Finn pulled his hands away from Rachels' and turned to his daughter.

"Just a little accident. Come on guys, help Rachel by setting the table while I change. We can have breakfast together," replied their father.

Everyone's jaw dropped. This was the first time since Rachel began to work as their nanny that Finn had actually joined them for breakfast. Rachel couldn't help herself as she stared at him in awe as he walked back towards his bedroom.

Something was changing in Finn Hudson. Rachel wasn't sure what it was but from the wide grin on not only her own face but the kids' as well, it was clear that it was a good change.

0-0

Man was Rachel a good cook.

Finn couldn't help but rub his stomach, as he headed towards the honking vehicle outside his house. He was fully satisfied which made him question why he didn't join more meals. He made a point to remind himself to attempt to be home for dinner more often.

"Hurry it up Hudson! We're late," screamed an impatient Puck, as he continued to honk the horn of his brand new audi. His best friend was impatient, crude, selfish and outspoken. All characteristics that constantly made him question why he's still his best friend, not to mention his business partner. However, whenever Finn went through the books and saw the cash he racked in did he clearly remember.

As Finn stepped into the car, he was taken by surprise at the conversation that instantly took place.

"Dude, she must have you so whipped. When you called me and told me you were having breakfast with your family I thought you were totally kidding," Puck began ranting as he drove off.

"What's wrong with me spending some time with my family?" retorted Finn; his face instinctively turning to glare at his friend.

"Exactly that. You are Finn Hudson. Work first, ladies second, family third - at least that's the way it's been since... There has to be a reason why you suddenly wanted to skip our morning office coffee for breaky with the famjam, and I know what it is!"

Finn rolled his eyes at the man he basically grew up with. Puck and his theories: a recurring pattern that started in elementary school. The man believed he had an answer for everything. To give him credit, he was quite accurate most of the time, but that didn't stop Finn from rolling his eyes and whining every time he made up a new one.

"Alright Puck, let's hear it. Why do I want to spend time with my family?"

He couldn't help the condescending and annoyed tone that escaped his lips.

"Rachel," Puck responded matter-of-factly.

Finn had no idea why he suddenly froze and looked away from his best friend. The moment her name was mentioned, bundles of thoughts began to cross his mind; the conversations they've had, zipping her dress, pretending to be dating, her relationship with the kids and...the kiss.

It had been such a long time since more than just a woman's breasts and lady bits mattered to him. Finn slightly remembered what it was like to feel for someone else, but there was no way. She was his nanny. He didn't have a crush on his nanny. Finn almost smacked himself in the face at the thought - what a cliche. The employer falls for the nanny. No, he wasn't falling. He couldn't be, but for some reason, his stomach felt odd at the thought of her.

"Earth to Hudson?" groaned Puck as he parked the car.

"Sorry, what?" Finn quickly left the unsettling thoughts in his mind and returned his focus to his best friend.

"I was saying that ever since she started working for you, you've been acting different. Spending more time with your kids, bailing Santana, and even leaving a party early. This woman has you whipped," Puck emphasised the last word as he locked his car and headed for the giant building that was their office - Finn quickly followed behind.

Though on most occasions, Finn would respond to Puck with some douchebag answer like "no woman can tame the Hudson," there was no comeback that came to mind.

Instead, he just shrugged.

Finn couldn't help but chuckle a bit as he watched his best friend's jaw literally drop.

"Okay, now you're worrying me. What do you even know about this chick other than the fact that she looks hot in a dress."

Finn thought for a moment and words started leaving his mouth before he could stop himself.

"I know that my kids love her. I know that she has one of the kindest hearts I've ever had the pleasure of meeting. She puts the needs of my kids first, even to the point of kicking my ass. I know that she's one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. I know that she's one of the most interesting people I've ever met especially because unlike the rest, she can actually hold a conversation," as Finn continued his speech a thought hit him.

"I know that I'm starting to gain feelings for her."

Hearing it out loud made it more real than Finn could handle. His face began to flush, especially with the stare his best friend was now giving to him. Finn didn't even realize when he got there, but he was now sitting at his desk, in his customized leather chair, and all he wanted to do was go home.

"Whoa, this is more serious than I thought," mumbled Puck, "...which is why I did some background checking." With that, Puck opened his briefcase and pulled out a file.

Background check? Rage seized through Finn at the words.

"How dare you? Who the fuck do you think you are running those behind my back?" Finn had jumped out of his seat and was now yelling at his best friend across the table.

"I'm your best friend and more importantly, your business partner! How do you know she's not in it for the money? Because according to this, she really could use a big check right now," Puck responded, as he began to fiddle with some papers.

The statement took Finn by surprise. He had never imagined that Rachel would try to seduce him - if that's what you could call it - just to be able to take some of his money. There was no way. She saw the way she interacted with his kids. There had to be more than that.

"Let me see that," growled Finn, pulling the file out of his friends hand.

As Finn skimmed through the pages, he couldn't help the shock. His eyes widened the more he learned about the woman that was taking over his thoughts bit-by-bit.

When he had finally seen enough, he gently slid it back across the desk to Puck.

"How did you get this?" he quietly asked.

"We're rich bro. It's nuts what people would do for a bit of extra cash."

A silence filled the room.

"So is this all true?"

"Yes."

Finn needed a moment to soak it all in.

Rachel's mother had passed away from breast cancer when she was really young. To deal with the death of his wife, her father began heavily drinking which resulted in years of him abusing his four daughters. According to the file, Rachel had been sexually abused and beaten by her father on multiple accounts- which is seen in the police reports that Puck provided. Rachel legally took guardianship over her little sisters once she was eighteen and took them away from their abusive father. Not only did she have to decline a scholarship to the New York University, but she had multiple jobs in attempt to support her siblings. Her and her sister Julie, which is the second oldest, are now trying to raise money to not only take care of themselves but get the youngest to go to school.

Hundreds of questions started popping into Finn's head. How the hell did Puck get so many details? Where were her sisters now? What happened to her father? How did Rachel do it? Is that why she shows so much love and affection for his kids?

As thorough as this report was, Finn knew that the only person that could really give him the answers was Rachel. However, he couldn't let her know that this search was done on her. If Finn knew anything about woman, he knew that schemes like this never went well with them - something about trust.

Though Puck had most likely expected Finn to run away from her and the clear baggage, he couldn't help but feel his heart soften for Rachel. She had been through so much in her life but she just kept fighting and never let it break her. Instead of hating the world as Finn had started to do after Taylor's death, Rachel just kept beaming love and hope.

"So?" Puck questioned him.

"Get out of my office Puck."

His friend was completely taken by surprise, "What?! I bring you all these juicy details and you kick me out?"

Finn pulled out his laptop and nodded at his friend. Scrolling to open a new document, the CEO began jotting down a list of ideas whilst not responding other than with two words.

"Bye Puck."

Knowing there was no point in arguing, Puck stormed out of his best friend's office and left him to begin working on his new case. Finn was typing like crazy, his list going on and on and he didn't stop until he was fully satisfied with the outcome. Once it was done, he laid back with his arms crossed behind his head, and admired his work.

Finn was in awe of Rachel Berry and everything that she was - a feeling that was emphasised by the new information.

As he typed in the name of his new file, Finn Hudson knew what he wanted.

_Operation Make Rachel Mine_

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